76 
Bulletin 35 
224 
Page 103 
PAPER No. 7. 
ON THE PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY AND EOSSILS 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. 
I. General Considerations. 
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 con.siderable 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 fos.sils 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, maj' possibly be of a much later age than the 
other portions of the group — they lie uncouformably upon 
the upper beds of the metamorphic slates. 
