CHAPTER    III. 
THE  GREAT  NORTHERN  AREA. 
SECTION  I.   THE  REGION  ABOUT  HUDSON  BAY. 
LITERATURE. 
Bell,1  in  1877,  reports  on  explorations  between  James  bay  and  lakes 
Superior  and  Huron.  The  rocks  are  described  as  Huronian  on  the 
course  followed  until  the  north  side  of  Shatagami  lake  is  reached,  with 
the  reservation  that  the  gneiss  just  below  Paul's  lake  may  be  Lauren- 
tian.  In  this  distance  the  rocks  are  limestones,  quartzite,  diorite,  chert- 
slate-conglomerate,  hornblende-schist,  pegmatite,  syenite,  clay-slates, 
and,  at  Paul's  lake,  gneiss.  The  diorites  have  a  widespread  occurrence, 
and  an  area  of  massive  syenite  continues  for  several  miles  in  one  local, 
ity.  It  is  often  mixed  with  crystalline  diorite.  Beyond  Shatagami 
lake  are  several  alternations  of  rocks  which  are  referred  to  the  Huro- 
nian and  Laurentian  before  the  fossiliferous  series  is  reached.  The  con- 
spicuous feature  of  the  last  Laurentian  belts  are  large  diorite  dikes. 
The  junction  of  the  Laurentian  and  Huronian  occurs  at  Davis's  rapid, 
51  miles  north  of  the  outlet  of  lake  Kenohamissee. 
On  the  return  trip  the  course  followed  is  by  the  west  branch  of 
Moose  river,  along  toward  its  headwaters,  thence  to  Michipicoten  and 
lake  Superior.  The  rocks  are  chiefly  granite  and  syenite,  gneiss,  horn- 
blende-schists and  mica-schists  and  greenish  schists.  These  are  in  part 
referred  to  the  Huronian  and  in  part  to  the  Laurentian,  several  belts 
of  the  Huronian  being  found.  At  one  place  the  Huronian  is  spoken  of 
as  passing  into  the  Laurentian.  As  a  result  of  the  work  it  is  shown 
that  an  immense  area  of  Huronian  rocks  runs  northward  from  lake 
Huron  through  the  greater  part  of  the  distance  lying  between  it  and 
the  area  of  unaltered  rocks  of  the  southwest  side  of  James  bay. 
Bell,2  in  1879,  reports  on  explorations  of  the  east  coast  of  Hudson 
bay.  In  this  region  are  large  areas  of  gneisses  which  are  referred  to 
the  Laurentian,  and  belts  of  schists  referred  to  the  Huronian.  With 
the  Huronian  are  schist- conglomerates  and  quartzites.  At  the  contact 
of  the  Laurentian  and  Huronian,  the  former  consists  of  a  coarse  quartz 
and  mica  rock,  while  the  first  rock  which  is  considered  Huronian  is  a 
dark  green,  highly  crystalline  hornblende-schist.  The  two  formations 
appear  as  usual  to  be  conformable.  Along  Manitounuck  sound  is  an 
unaltered  stratified  series  in  which  no  fossils  were  found  and  which 
resemble  the  JSTipigon  rocks.    These  are  called  the  Manitounuck  group. 
209 
Bull.  86 14 
