26 The Au.erican Geologist. J"'>' ^^'>^- 
possibilities. They are not, indeed, alternatives, as any two 
or all three may have obtained . From other evidence, it seems 
probable that the last of the three, at least, existed. 
Evidences as to tiic def'th of icater during deposition. 
Te.vtnrc of sediments. — The var}ing texture of the sedi- 
ments affords an index of slight probable differences in depth 
of water in some cases. For instance, Hind ('72, p. 76) men- 
tions near Coxcomb lake, Mt. Uniacke, a belt of sandstone 
380 feet thick, a grit at the bottom, becoming steadily finer 
upward . Many of the coarse sand grains are a translucent 
blue color. This, it may be remarked, is characteristic of 
much of the coarser quartzyte of the series, the grains being 
often black, or a dark smoky brown. 
Lime.<stones. — A limestone has already been mentioned 
Hind {'72, p. 78) writes of "twisted and contorted slates with 
bands of carbonate of lime" at Mt. Uniacke ; but these bands 
were probablv the stratified veins .* The Goldenville formation 
contains much lime as a cement in the rock ; which may have 
come originally from organisms or have been introduced by va- 
pors and surcharged waters working interstitially, or have been 
an original constituent of the feldspathic components of the 
sands. In view of the arkose nature of much of the quartzyte in 
dift'erent parts of the formation, and the amount of kaolin pres- 
ent as shown in thin sections, the last supposition appears rea- 
sonable . Any sedimentary lime, however, is evidence of a lack 
of clastic material in the water, and either of such dee]3ening of 
the water as ceased to allow mechanical detritus to be carried 
so far, or a change in current action whereby no sediment was 
fed to a part of the bottom, and the calcareous and siliceous 
ooze gathered for a period unmixed with mud . 
Cross-bedding . — Cross-bedding has not been mentioned by 
any author as characteristic of any of the horizons in the se- 
ries. It is found in a number of localities, widely separated 
geographically and stratigraphically . Beside the shore road 
of the west coast of the province, one and one-half miles south 
of the village of Pubnico Harbor, is an exposure giving a struc- 
ture which shows deposition from the south. The dark bio- 
titc schist is similar to much of the rock of the region. Xear 
the same stratigrajihic horizon is a conglomerate, another evi- 
dence of shoal water. The west side of Halifax harbor con- 
