638 



XII. AGGLOMERATE LIMESTONE OF BARIGON, THE 

 CASTLE OF CUMANA, AND THE VICINITY OF PORTO 

 CABELLO. 



This is a very complex formation ; present- 

 ing 1 that mixture and that periodical return of 

 compact limestone, of quarzous sandstone, and 

 of agglomerats (limestone brechia) which pe- 

 culiarly characterizes, under every zone, the 

 tertiary soil. It forms the mountain of the 

 castle of Saint Antonio, near the town of Cu- 

 mana, the south-west extremity of the penin- 

 sula of Araya, the Cerro Meapire, south of 

 Cariaco, and the vicinity of Porto Cabello (Vol. 

 ii, p. 264, 290 ; Vol. iii, p. 10, 181, 405; VoL 

 iv, p. 207 ; Vol. vi, p. 96). It contains 1° a 

 compact limestone, generally of a whitish 

 grey, or yellowish white {Cerro de Barigon), of 

 which some very thin shelves are entirely desti- 

 tute of petrifications, while others are filled 

 with cardites, ostracites, pectens, and vestiges 

 of lithophyte polypieri : 2° a brechia in which 

 an innumerable number of pelagic shells are 

 found mixed with grains of quartz agglutinated 

 by a cement of carbonate of lime; 3° a calca- 

 reous sandstone with very fine rounded grains 

 of quartz (Punta Arenas, west of the village of 

 Maniquarez), and containing masses of brown 

 iron ore: 4° shelves of marl and slatey clay 



