Whittle.] 
254 
[Feb. 1 8, 
remarkably characteristic, at least as pertains to the deposits 
along our Atlantic coast region. Dawson in his Acadian Geology 
maps the rocks exposed on Quaco Head as carboniferous, although 
a small exposure of Trassic sandstone occurs on both north and 
south sides lying unconformably on the Carboniferous. We are 
only concerned with the lower horizon. In this, ascending geo- 
logically occurs first, a homogeneous melaphyre which though 
brecciated still remains as a non-schistose rock. Over this, and 
including in it near its base large angular to sub-angular areas of 
melaphyre lies a sub-crystalline limestone carrying scattered 
through it minute veins and round areas of psilomelane and pyro- 
lusite. At its upper portion it is somewhat shaley and carries 
manganese nodules in great abundance. There are three principal 
varieties : the first and most common is a porous, cavernous 
nodule composed largely of wad with scattered areas of bright 
pyrolusite crystals and showing remains of a concentric structure ; 
the second is a compact mass composed mainly of psilomelane, in 
structure concentrally arranged about either one or several nuclei. 
The third and least common variety is in the form of stalactites. 
Sections of these cut and polished show a central tube more or 
less irregular as in common stalactites of calcic carbonate with 
many ramifying cracks now filled with manganese oxide in a purer 
state than that making the outer portions of the stalactites. 
When polished the oxide filling these cracks stands salient showing 
its greater hardness. Over the ore-carrying strata are beds of a 
bright, somewhat incoherent brick-red slate revealing little evi- 
dence of bedding for several feet in vertical thickness. This origi- 
nally may have been comparable with the deposits of clay that occur 
at a depth of about 2600 fathoms on the present sea floor. The 
second variety, or “kidney ore” is very uniform at this locality 
as regards the presence of phosphorus and iron, — these two ele- 
ments existing in much less quantity than in the previous variety. 
Many of the nodules occur as mammillary masses simulating 
the bunches of grapes, potatoes, etc. 
Traversing the strata generally in a north and south direction 
are several veins of pyrulusite mixed with manganite. It is 
from these that the purest oxide of manganese free from iron 
and phosphorus is obtained suitable for decoloring glass. The 
veins occupy narrow fissures and characteristically vary in width 
giving a maximum thickness of two inches and thinning down to 
