308 Review of Recent Geological Literature. 
then almost undistinguished, in the popular mind, from Australia at 
large. During a number of years, it has maintained a geological sur- 
vey, and Mr. Robert L. Jack has been in charge. The mining inter- 
ests of the colony are considerable, and most of the attention of the sur- 
vey has been directed to economic questions. Mr. Jack, in the years 1886 
to 1889, has issued several special reports on different mining districts 
and localities, some of which are as follows : Report of the Argentine 
(Star) Silver mines, Kennedy District, 9pp ; Geological observations 
in the north of Queensland, 16 pp ; Report of the Geological features 
of the Mackay District, lOpp ; Mount Morgan Gold Deposits (2d Re- 
port) 6pp ; Coal Discoveries on the Flinders, 2pp ; Geology of the Rus- 
sel River, 5pp ; Taranganba Gold mine, 10pp. These reporls are in 
long quarto form, and are generally accompanied by large maps, and 
by sections. They are issued from the Geological Survey office, Towns- 
ville. 
From the address, the title of which stands above, the geology of 
Queensland presents a wide contrast with that of New Zealand. In- 
stead of a connected and complete record of physical events, we have 
an exceedingly fragmentary one — almost every formation resting un- 
conformably on the underlying one. There is no certain existence of 
any rocks older than the Devonian. There are crystalline schists and 
granites, but they appear to be post Archaean. The lower and middle 
Devonian strata attain a thickness of about 21,000 feet. The Carbon- 
iferous rocks embrace two unconformable series holding very similar 
fossils. Unconformably above these, follow "Carbonifero-Permian" 
beds of great thickness, having volcanic agglomerates at bottom, and 
embracing the oldest auriferous drifts. The Ipswich formation sup- 
posed next higher, ttjntains numerous good coal beds, and fossils of 
Mesozoic type, but rests, like the older groups, on slates, schists and 
granites. Mr. Jack sets it down as Triassic. Resting also on slates 
and granites, the Rolling Downs formation follows, and quite uncon- 
formably above this, occurs the Desert sandstone, once very widely 
extended, but now enormously denuded. Both these contain similar 
Cretaceous fossils, and the Government Geologist provisionally sets 
the one down as Lower, and the other as Upper, Cretaceous. The 
Upper overlaps and rests on all the older systems. The IMaryborough 
beds, on the eastern side of the coastal range, carry a fauna which ap- 
pears also to be Cretaceous, and equivalent to that of the Desert sand- 
stone. We may conclude therefore, that during the period of the Low- 
er Cretaceous, Australia consisted of two islands with a shallow inter- 
vening ocean, and an abrupt escarpment along the eastern shore of the 
eastern island, extending into a deep sea, whose deposits of that date 
have never been brought to light. There was then an insular epoch 
in the interior, and that was followed by a still deeper submergence 
during the Upper Cretaceous. The east shore deposits of this later 
period have been revealed to the Maryborough beds. On the Tertiary 
and later geology, ]\lr. Jack gives us no information. 
