7 6 



Bulletin 35 



224 



Page 103 



PAPER No. 7. 



<W THE PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY AND FOSSILS OF 

 THE OLDER ROCKS OF TRINIDAD. 

 Read before the Scientific Association of Trinidad, June 

 27, 1877 and published in the "Proceedings," vol. 2, pp. 

 103-115, with three full page figures. 



1. General Co?isiderations. 



The older rocks of Trinidad were described by Messrs. 

 Wall and Sawkins in their Report on the Geology of Trinidad 

 under the name of the "Caribean Group." The age of the 

 series was not determined by them, although they surmised 

 it to be of considerable antiquity. The position as well as 

 the lithological structure of these rocks are such as lend 

 strong support to the theory of their great age : but the 

 absence of fossils rendered all attempts futile at a nearer 

 determination. 



The series in question occupies a considerable portion of 

 the litoral cordillera of Venezuela, and extends eastward 

 through the north of Trinidad to Tobago. It is composed 

 of gneiss, gneissose, talcose, and micaceous slates and crystal- 

 line and compact limestones. The compact limestones 

 however, may possibly be of a much later age than the 

 other portions of the group — they lie unconformably upon 

 the upper beds of the metamorphic slates. 



