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Bulletin 35 
338 
stones ; they were contorted and altered by volcanic activit}’, be- 
ing thrust up to elevations of 1,000 to 1,300 feet, but were sedi- 
mentary rocks, probabl}' of Eocene age ; the volcanic activitj’ had 
resulted in the intrusion of a few masses and d\’kes of lava, but 
in few places was there any definite flow of lava. 
These rocks consist of sandstones of various degrees of fine- 
ness and contain abundance of fossil wood and also well-preserved 
fossil shells of fresh or brackish-water t\'pes, bearing testimony 
to the former existence of the Antillian land area referred to by 
Mr. Guppy as possibly Atlantis. 
In various parts of these rocks of the Central Plain and the 
south-western hills there occur outlying masses of limestone, 
such as Mr. Gupp)’ stated he would expect to find had the lime- 
stone at one time extended over a larger area than it does at 
present. These outliers had been misinterpreted b)" Purves, who 
took them to be a definite laj’er of Pliocene limestone underlying 
the rocks the Central Plain. 
A correct understanding of the sedimentar}’ nature of the 
rocks of the.se hills that have so long been mistaken for volcanic 
appeared to the speaker to be of the first importance, for he be- 
lieves that they represent a portion of a large formation extend- 
ing throughout the West Indies from the Virgin Islands south- 
ward, possibly as far as Trinidad, and that evidence of their ex- 
istence is to be found in Grenada, St. Lucia, and possibE even in 
Dominica. Fossil wood is known to occur in St. Lucia and this 
maj’ be regarded as confirmatory of these views. 
The lower limestones of the northern part of the island were 
probabh’ of Miocene age and had undoubtedly formed islets in a 
shallow sea at a time when, as Mr. Guppy had said, the sea 
flowed over what is now the Central Plain. Throughout the 
whole length of the Central Plain are raised beaches of water- 
worn pebbles marking the boundaries of this shallow sea. 
Page 37 
The limestone formations are ver}- confused and difficult to 
stud}" from the fact that on the shores of the islets consisting of 
Miocene limestone above referred to corals and shells of latter 
