101 
Tertiary rocks. Close by are valuable compact limestone deposits of 
early Tertiary age, perhaps Eocene. Mr. Robinson has an extensive 
quarry in these beds, and very perfect shell casts are obtained there. 
I have to express my indebtedness to the mayor, Mr. Lyon, and to 
the engineer, Mr. Bowman, for much courtesy and information. 
\Re-port sent in 21st N ovember, 
CERTAIN GOLD 'REEFS AT RUTHERGLEN. 
(NO.. IO ON LOCALITY MAP.) 
By E. /. Dunn , F.G.S., Director , Geological Survey. 
This gold-field is 169J miles N.E. from Melbourne, and 4$ miles from 
the Murray River. A very noticeable feature is the remarkable manner 
in which deep alluvial leads radiate to all points of the compass from the 
town, which stands on an island of Ordovician rocks in a Tertiary area. 
No fewer than seventeen different leads have their origin within a small 
area, and these have been worked into deeper ground with varying success. 
Some of them yielded very rich returns, while others gave only moderate 
results. 
It is natural to assume that a tract of country which has supplied so 
much gold to these alluvial leads should contain auriferous quartz veins 
in the bed-rock, and this has been proved to a certain extent; but quartz 
mining here has never assumed an important position, although from time 
to time excellent returns have been obtained. The reason appears to be 
the general absence of those strongly marked quartz lodes that are char¬ 
acteristic of some other gold-fields. 
Ordovician sandstones, slates, and mudstones occupy this area, and 
although no fossils have been discovered, the character of the rocks sug¬ 
gests that these beds may belong to the Castlemaine zone. Along certain 
lines the beds consist of soft sandstones, mudstones, and slates of yellow 
and pink colours. The soil formed from these beds is of deep red colour. 
Higher up in the series, and flanking the above rocks, are beds of coarse 
sandstone and slate of grey colour, the soil from which is of light yellow 
or grey colour, and less fertile than that from the deeper-seated beds. 
The strata are bent into a series of anticlines and synclines, but the surface 
is so much covered by soil that there is difficulty in tracing out the centre- 
country. 
The hills to the west of Rutherglen are thicklv strewn with fragmental 
quartz. At Quarry Hill the beds strike N. 20 deg. W., dip 60 deg. W., 
and pitch N. at 10 deg. On this hill the rocks are rough sandstones 
with some beds of slate, both grey in colour, and the soil is also grey. 
Eastward from this hill is a little rise on which some mining has been 
done. The rocks here consist of soft pink and yellow sandstones, mud¬ 
stones, and slate, with red soil. The latter beds are deeper in the series 
than the beds on Quarrv Hill. 
South-west of Quarry Hill, and just south of the Bobby Burns lead, 
there is a cutting on the main road to Springhurst. The beds here 
strikej N. 20 deg. W., dip 64 deg. W., and pitch N. at 8 deg. An 
anticline probably runs close by to the east of the cutting. 
Within the fence of Meehan's grazing area Ruhe Brothers are working 
surface spurs near the western boundary. These spurs cut through slate 
and sandstone; they have only been worked to shallow depths. A few 
loads of quartz, estimated to yield | oz. of gold per ton, are ready for 
