GREAT   NORTHERN   INTERIOR   OF   CANADA.  533 
in  several  localities.  The  rocks  are  schist  conglomerate,  sometimes 
garnetiferous,  steatite  schists,  green  schists,  and  felsite  schists,  most 
of  them  being  more  or  less  calcareous.  The  Laurentian  gneiss  occu- 
pies the  area  between  the  Huronian  troughs.  The  strike  of  the 
Laurentian  gneiss  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Huronian  rocks  ap- 
pears in  most  cases  to  correspond  with  that  of  the  latter. 
Bell,34  in  1881,  reports  on  Hudson  Bay  and  some  of  the  lakes  and 
rivers  lying  to  the  west  of  it.  At  different  points  are  found  various 
gneisses  and  schists  which  are  referred  respectively  to  the  Laurentian 
and  the  Huronian.  Hudson  Bay  as  a  whole  lies  in  the  great  Lauren- 
tian area  of  the  Dominion.  The  long  chain  of  islands  which  fringe 
the  east  coast  are  composed  of  bedded  volcanic  and  almost  unaltered 
sedimentary  rocks,  resembling  the  Nipigon  series  of  Lake  Superior, 
which  may  be  of  Lower  Cambrian  age.  On  the  western  side  of  the 
bay,  from  the  Churchill  River  northward,  are  found  quartzites  and 
other  rocks  which  may  also  belong  to  the  Cambrian  system.  Cambro- 
Silurian  rocks  rest  almost  horizontally  upon  the  Laurentian  along 
the  southwestern  side  of  the  bay. 
Bell,35  in  1883,  reports  upon  the  geology  of  the  basin  of  Moose 
River  and  adjacent  country.  The  boundaries  of  the  Laurentian  and 
Huronian  formations  appear  to  be  conformable  to  each  other.  Mas- 
sive granites  occur  abundantly  with  the  Laurentian  gneisses  and  Hu- 
ronian schists.  The  granites  generally  lie  close  to  the  junction  of 
the  Huronian  and  Laurentian,  this  being  the  usual  position  of  these 
granite  areas  in  the  great  region  northward  of  Lakes  Huron  and 
Superior. 
Bell,3"  in  1885,  describes  granite  and  gneiss  at  North  Head,  But- 
ton Islands,  Ungava  Bay,  Nunaungok,  Ashes  Inlet,  Nottingham  and 
Digges  islands,  Stuparts  Bay,  Eskimo  Inlet,  Port  DeBoucherville. 
and  Port  Laperriere.  A  portion  of  the  west  coast  of  Hudson  Bay  is 
occupied  with  diorites,  hornblende  schists,  and  mica  schists,  which  may 
be  referred  to  the  Huronian  series.  Deadmans  Island  consists  of 
white  and  light-gray  quartzites  and  glossy  mica  schists  striking  N. 
75°  W.  The  whole  of  the  western  part  of  Marble  Island  consists 
of  white  and  light-colored  quartzite  bearing  a  strong  resemblance  to 
white  and  vein  marble.  The  beds  of  quartzite  are  very  massive, 
although  their  surfaces  are  often  ripple-marked,  being  sometimes  as 
fine  and  regular  as  the  fluting  on  a  washboard. 
Bell,37  in  1885,  gives  a  general  characterization  of  the  geology  of 
Hudson  Bay.  The  distribution  of  the  Huronian  series  is  intimately 
connected  with  that  of  the  Laurentian,  being  found  mostly  within 
the  limits  of  the  latter.  The  rocks  of  the  Huronian  system  appear 
to  rest  conformably  upon  the  Laurentian  in  all  cases  observed.  About 
the  mouth  of  Churchill  River,  on  the  west  side  of  tin'  bay,  and  for 
some  miles  along  the  coast,   are  found  massive   and    thinly   bedded 
