* 
SOUTH AUSTRALIA 
REPORT ON GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY OF NORTHERN 
TERRITORY. 
Ordered by the House of Assembly to be printed, and plans lithographed, November 16t/i, 1886. 
[Estimated cost of printing (800), £16 13s. 4d.] 
REPORT of REV. J. E. TENISON WOODS on GEOLOGY and MINERALOGY of 
NORTHERN TERRITORY. 
Palmerston, October 7th, 1886. 
. I have the honor to report that I have completed my examination of the geology and mineralogy 
of portions of the Northern Territory, and the following report is the result of that examination :— 
• * u P on y°. ur instructions, I proceeded to Rurrundie, and then, accompanied by Mr. Nash, the 
Clnei \ ardcn, examined all the places where mining had been or was actually being carried on. In the 
couise ot these journeys most of the intervening country was prospected, and the geology noted. 
Alter having seen all the mining country, I started in company with Mr. Surveyor Kingston, Mr. Nash, 
and two men and twelve horses, for an exploration in the less known portions of the interior. Our course 
was from Mount Wells to Mount Douglas, and thence south-eastward across the ranges to the Eveleen mine, 
b rom thence wc traced the River Mary to its sources, and then, having crossed a small patch of tableland, 
reached the upper waters of the Katherine, which we followed down to the telegraph station ; from thence 
we proceeded along the line to Pine creek. Had time permitted it, I should have continued my prospecting 
tour as tar as the Daly river, by crossing the intervening country from the head waters of the Driffield, but 
this 1 was reluctantly obliged to leave, as the season was so far advanced. I returned to Palmerston by the 
overland route from Southport. 
. arc the results of these geological explorations. It will be observed that in many respects I 
dittcr from 1 rofessor Tate, but in justice to that gentleman it should be borne in mind that, to use his own 
expression, his trip was no more than “ a recoimoissance in the saddle,” made at a season when detailed 
examination was impossible. The time at my disposal and the season gave every facility for entering into 
mat eis o geological detail. I have in this report dealt with the general conclusions as far as the detail 
warrants, and I must record here my complete satisfaction at the result of the prospecting tour. I Con¬ 
fidently assert that the Northern Territory is exceptionally rich in minerals, only a small portion of which 
has oen made known to the public. I do not believe that the same quantity of mineral, veins of gold, 
silver, tin, copper, and lead, will be found in any equal area in Australia. In fact, I doubt if many provinces 
. 1 K ‘ ipund m any country so singularly and exceptionally favored as Amheim’s Land is in respect to 
mineral riches. Of the mines that have already been worked, in gold especially, they cannot be said to have 
g°ne to any depth, but all nearly have shown unusually good ore, and it is unquestionable that not 25 per 
cent, ot the veins visible have ever been worked at all. As to the causes of this and the depression in the 
mining interest m the Territory generally, the report will give ample details, but it is from no want of 
mineia tt posits. A ears will not exhaust the discoveries to be made here when the difficulties of labor have 
been go over as they will be surely ere long. The Peninsula of Arnheiin’s Land will become one of the 
great mining centres of Australia. 
It only remains, Sir, to thank the Government Resident for the steady co-operation he has given 
to me in us examination. The idea originated with him, an,d it was entirely at his request I undertook it, 
?P , 1,ls ) ias been carried out in keeping with his ^earnest and active "desires* for the welfare of the 
. 01 orri tory. Allow me also to thank Messrs, Nash and Kingston for their uniform zeal and courtesy 
m carrying out the survey — of Mr. Kingston’s services as a surveyor and explorer I iannot speak too highly. 
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY. 
Lefoie proceeding to give details of the geology of the Territory, it will be necessary to correct an 
erroneous idea which has prevailed as to the physical structure'of this part of the continent. That idea has 
been that the mineral area, after rising by an easy slope to the southward, reaches points at varying distances 
where it is covered by a rampart of sandstone about 600ft. in height. This rampart is supposed to be the edge 
of the great plateau of an interior or continental Australia. Ir- other places the tableland is supposed to be 
800ft. in height above the plains, and 1,800ft. above the sea. Latterly the plateau has been called by the 
name of the Desert Sandstone, and is supposed to cover over most of the older formations, and to block out, as it 
were, all the older and mineral deposits. 
Whether it does so or not in the far interior I cannot say. though I am inclined'to think not. Where I 
have been there is no such thing as a continuous tableland. Patches o: broken tableland occur frequently 
at the sources of rivers and creeks, but they are only patches—often no more than ridges, and if more 
than four or live miles in width they descend as an inclined plain to the valley of the next large watercourse, 
where the older formations generally crop out. Their height varies .between 120ft. and 300ft. Once, only 
have I seen a plateau of 370ft. in height at its northern edge, which is always broken. It was less than 
half 
A.—No. 122. 
