ACROSS UNKNOWN SOUTH AMERICA 
strata, demonstrating plainly that they had been consider¬ 
ably disturbed at some epoch or other. 
We were on the bank of another stream (elevation 
1,950 feet) flowing south — the Capim Branco. We were 
then in another great and deep basin extending from north¬ 
west to southeast, in the northwestern part of which could 
be seen, on the summit of the rounded hill-tops and spurs, 
an overlapping of rock, evidently produced when in a 
molten condition. In the southwestern part of the slope 
encircling this great valley there stood another great barrier, 
formed also by a flow of molten rock curling over itself, as 
it were, and above this stood angular and pointed shoots 
of molten stuff of a subsequent origin. Large slabs of the 
latter could be separated easily from the underlying flow. 
From the summit of that rocky prominence was 
obtained a lovely panorama of a great plateau, a portion 
of which had been eroded into a wall (east-northeast) with 
three buttresses: another portion was gradually assuming 
a similar shape. The plateau had a great spur projecting 
westward. A crater had formed with a broken-up side to 
the west, leaving the conical-shaped remains of its frag¬ 
mentary mouth. The plateau ended after describing a 
sweeping curve — almost a semicircle. 
In the centre of the immense basin before us were 
successions of high undulations, like great waves, extend¬ 
ing southward in parallel lines (east to west). From the 
point of vantage on which I stood I could count as many 
as eight of those huge lines of waves. Evidently, at some 
remote period, it would be difficult to say how many thou¬ 
sands of years ago, that was a gigantic mass of molten 
stuff in commotion. In many places it was apparent that 
the great waves of molten rock had flowed over and partly 
overlapped the lower ones. In its higher, northeasterly 
point the basin was wooded. 
The great basin extended southward. In that direc¬ 
tion all the lower ridges with their arched backs showed a 
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