TheseveralmammifersembeddedinthePampeanformation,whichmostlybelongtoextinctgenera,andsomeeventoextinctfamiliesororders,andwhichdiffernearly,ifnotquite,asmuchasdotheEocenemammifersofEuropefromlivingquadrupedshavingexistedcontemporaneouslywithmollusca,allstillinhabitingtheadjoiningsea,iscertainlyamoststrikingfact。Itis,however,farfrombeinganisolatedone;for,duringthelatetertiarydepositsofBritain,anelephant,rhinoceros,andhippopotamusco-existedwithmanyrecentlandandfresh-watershells;andinNorthAmerica,wehavethebestevidencethatamastodon,elephant,megatherium,megalonyx,mylodon,anextincthorseandox,likewiseco-
existedwithnumerousland,fresh-water,andmarinerecentshells。(Manyoriginalobservations,andasummaryonthissubject,aregiveninMr。
Lyell’spaperinthe“GeologicalProceedings“volume4page3andinhis“TravelsinNorthAmerica“volume1page164andvolume2page60。FortheEuropeananalogouscasesseeMr。Lyell’s“PrinciplesofGeology“6theditionvolume1page37。)TheenumerationoftheseextinctNorthAmericananimalsnaturallyleadsmetorefertotheformercloserrelationofthemammiferousinhabitantsofthetwoAmericas,whichIhavediscussedinmy“Journal,“andlikewisetothevastextentofcountryoverwhichsomeofthemranged:thusthesamespeciesoftheMegatherium,Megalonyx,Equus(asfarasthestateoftheirremainspermitsofidentification),extendedfromtheSouthernUnitedStatesofNorthAmericatoBahiaBlanca,inlatitude39
degreesS。onthecoastofPatagonia。Thefactoftheseanimalshavinginhabitedtropicalandtemperateregions,doesnotappeartomeanygreatdifficulty,seeingthatattheCapeofGoodHopeseveralquadrupeds,suchastheelephantandhippopotamus,rangefromtheequatortolatitude35
degreessouth。ThecaseoftheMastodonAndiumisoneofmoredifficulty,foritisfoundfromlatitude36degreesS。over,asIhavereasontobelieve,nearlythewholeofBrazil,anduptheCordilleratoregionswhich,accordingtoM。d’Orbigny,borderonperpetualsnow,andwhicharealmostdestituteofvegetation:undoubtedlytheclimateoftheCordilleramusthavebeendifferentwhenthemastodoninhabitedit;butweshouldnotforgetthecaseoftheSiberianmammothandrhinoceros,asshowinghowsevereaclimatethelargerpachydermatacanendure;noroverlookthefactoftheguanacorangingatthepresentdayoverthehotlowdesertsofPeru,theloftypinnaclesoftheCordillera,andthedampforest-cladlandofSouthernTierradelFuego;thepuma,also,isfoundfromtheequatortotheStraitofMagellan,andIhaveseenitsfootstepsonlyalittlebelowthelimitsofperpetualsnowintheCordilleraofChile。
Attheperiod,sorecentinageologicalsense,whentheseextinctmammifersexisted,thetwoAmericasmusthaveswarmedwithquadrupeds,manyofthemofgiganticsize;for,besidesthosemoreparticularlyreferredtointhischapter,wemustincludeinthissameperiodthosewonderfullynumerousremains,somefewofthemspecifically,andothersgenericallyrelatedtothoseofthePampas,discoveredbyMM。LundandClauseninthecavesofBrazil。Finally,thefactsheregivenshowhowcautiousweoughttobeinjudgingoftheantiquityofaformationfromevenagreatamountofdifferencebetweentheextinctandlivingspeciesinanyoneclassofanimals;——weoughteventobecautiousinacceptingthegeneralproposition,thatchangeinorganicformsandlapseoftimeareatall,necessarily,correlatives……
LOCALITIESWITHINTHEREGIONOFTHEPAMPASWHEREGREATBONESHAVEBEEN
FOUND。
Thefollowinglist,whichincludeseveryaccountwhichIhavehithertometwithofthediscoveryoffossilmammiferousremainsinthePampas,maybehereafterusefultoageologistinvestigatingthisregion,andittendstoshowtheirextraordinaryabundance。Iheardofandsawmanyfossils,theoriginalpositionofwhichIcouldnotascertain;andIreceivedmanystatementstoovaguetobehereinserted。Beginningtothesouth:——wehavethetwostationsinBahiaBlanca,describedinthischapter,whereatP。
Alta,theMegatherium,Megalonyx,Scelidotherium,Mylodon,Holophractus(oranalliedgenus),Toxodon,Macrauchenia,andanEquuswerecollected;andatM。HermosoaCtenomys,Hydrochaerus,someotherrodentsandthebonesofagreatmegatheroidquadruped。Closenorth-eastoftheS。Tapalguen,wehavetheRios’Huesos’(i。e。“bones“),whichprobablytakesitsnamefromlargefossilbones。NearVillaNuevo,andatLasAverias,notfarfromtheSalado,threenearlyperfectskeletons,oneoftheMegatherium,oneoftheGlyptodonclavipes,andoneofsomegreatDasypoidquadruped,werefoundbytheagentofSirW。Parish(seehiswork“BuenosAyres“etc。page171)。I
haveseenthetoothofaMastodonfromtheSalado;alittlenorthwardofthisriver,onthebordersofalakeneartheG。delMonte,Isawmanybones,andonelargepieceofdermalarmour;higheruptheSalado,thereisaplacecalledMonte“Huesos。”OntheMatanzas,abouttwentymilessouthofBuenosAyres,theskeleton(videpage178of“BuenosAyres“etc。bySirW。
Parish)ofaGlyptodonwasfoundaboutfivefeetbeneaththesurface;herealso(seeCatalogueofRoyalCollegeofSurgeons)remainsofGlyptodonclavipes,G。ornatus,andG。reticulatuswerefound。SignorAngelis,inaletterwhichIhaveseen,referstosomegreatremainsfoundinBuenosAyres,atadepthoftwentyvarasfromthesurface。SevenleaguesnorthofthiscitythesameauthorfoundtheskeletonsofMylodonrobustusandGlyptodonornatus。FromthisneighbourhoodhehaslatelysenttotheBritishMuseumthefollowingfossils:——RemainsofthreeorfourindividualsofMegatherium;ofthreespeciesofGlyptodon;ofthreeindividualsoftheMastodonAndium;ofMacrauchenia;ofasecondspeciesofToxodon,differentfromT。Platensis;andlastly,oftheMachairodus,awonderfullargecarnivorousanimal。M。d’OrbignyhaslatelyreceivedfromtheRecolate“Voyage“Pal。page144),nearBuenosAyres,atoothofToxodonPlatensis。
Proceedingnorthward,alongthewestbankoftheParana,wecometotheRioLuxan,wheretwoskeletonsoftheMegatheriumhavebeenfound;andlately,withineightleaguesofthetownofLuxan,Dr。F。X。Munizhascollected(“BritishPacket“BuenosAyresSeptember25,1841),fromanaveragedepthofeighteenfeet,verynumerousremains,ofnolessthan,ashebelieves,ninedistinctspeciesofmammifers。AtAreco,largeboneshavebeenfound,whicharebelieved,bytheinhabitants,tohavebeenchangedfromsmallbones,bythewateroftheriver!AtArrecifes,theGlyptodon,senttotheCollegeofSurgeons,wasfound;andIhaveseentwoteethofaMastodonfromthisquarter。AtS。Nicolas,M。d’OrbignyfoundremainsofaCanis,Ctenomys,andKerodon;andM。Isabelle(“Voyage“page332)referstoagiganticArmadillofoundthere。AtS。Carlos,Iheardofgreatbones。A
littlebelowthemouthoftheCarcarana,thetwoskeletonsofMastodonwerefound;onthebanksofthisriver,nearS。Miguel,IfoundteethoftheMastodonandToxodon;and“Falkner“(page55)describestheosseousarmourofsomegreatanimal;Iheardofmanyotherbonesinthisneighbourhood。I
haveseen,Imayadd,inthepossessionofMr。Caldcleugh,thetoothofaMastodonAndium,saidtohavebeenfoundinParaguay;Imayherealsorefertoastatementinthisgentleman’stravels(volume1page48),ofagreatskeletonhavingbeenfoundintheprovinceofBoliviainBrazil,ontheR。
delasContas。ThefurthestpointwestwardinthePampas,atwhichIhaveHEARDoffossilbones,washighuponthebanksofR。Quinto。
InEntreRios,besidestheremainsoftheMastodon,Toxodon,Equus,andagreatDasypoidquadrupednearSt。FeBajada,IreceivedanaccountofboneshavingbeenfoundalittleS。E。ofP。Gorda(ontheParana),andofanentireskeletonatMatanzas,ontheArroyodelAnimal。
InBandaOriental,besidestheremainsoftheToxodon,Mylodon,andtwoskeletonsofgreatanimalswithosseousarmour(distinctfromthatoftheGlyptodon),foundontheArroyosSarandisandBerquelo,M。Isabelle(“Voyage“page322)says,manyboneshavebeenfoundneartheR。Negro,andontheR。Arapey,anaffluentoftheParaguay,inlatitude30degrees40
minutessouth。IheardofbonesnearthesourceoftheA。Vivoras。IsawtheremainsofaDasypoidquadrupedfromtheArroyoSeco,closetoM。
Video;andM。d’Orbignyrefers(“Voyage“Geolog。page24),toanotherfoundonthePedernal,anaffluentoftheSt。Lucia;andSignorAngelis,inaletter,statesthatathirdskeletonofthisfamilyhasbeenfound,nearCanelones。IsawatoothoftheMastodonfromTalas,anotheraffluentoftheSt。Lucia。ThemosteasternpointatwhichIheardofgreatboneshavingbeenfound,wasatSolisGrande,betweenM。VideoandMaldonado。
CHAPTERV。ONTHEOLDERTERTIARYFORMATIONSOFPATAGONIAANDCHILE。
RioNegro。
S。Josef。
PortDesire,whitepumiceousmudstonewithInfusoria。
PortS。Julian。
SantaCruz,basalticlavaof。
P。Gallegos。
EasternTierradelFuego;leavesofextinctbeech-trees。
SummaryonthePatagoniantertiaryformations。
TertiaryformationsoftheWesternCoast。
ChonosandChiloegroups,volcanicrocksof。
Concepcion。
Navidad。
Coquimbo。
Summary。
Ageofthetertiaryformations。
Linesofelevation。
Silicifiedwood。
ComparativerangesoftheextinctandlivingmolluscaontheWestCoastofS。America。
Climateofthetertiaryperiod。
OnthecausesoftheabsenceofrecentconchiferousdepositsonthecoastofS。America。
Onthecontemporaneousdepositionandpreservationofsedimentaryformations。
RIONEGRO。
IcanaddlittletothedetailsgivenbyM。d’Orbignyonthesandstoneformationofthisdistrict。(“Voyage“PartGeolog。pages57-65。)Thecliffstothesouthoftheriverareabouttwohundredfeetinheight,andarecomposedofsandstoneofvarioustintsanddegreesofhardness。Onelayer,whichthinnedoutatbothends,consistedofearthymatter,ofapalereddishcolour,withsomegypsum,andverylike(Ispeakaftercomparisonofthespecimensbroughthome)Pampeanmud:abovethiswasalayerofcompactmarlyrockwithdendriticmanganese。Manyblocksofaconglomerateofpumice-pebblesembeddedinhardsandstonewerestrewedatthefootofthecliff,andhadevidentlyfallenfromabove。AfewmilesN。E。ofthetown,Ifound,lowdowninthesandstone,abed,afewinchesinthickness,ofawhite,friable,harsh-feelingsediment,whichadherestothetongue,isofeasyfusibility,andoflittlespecificgravity;examinedunderthemicroscope,itisseentobepumiceoustuff,formedofbrokentransparentcrystals。Inthecliffssouthoftheriver,thereis,also,athinlayerofnearlysimilarnature,butfinergrained,andnotsowhite;itmighteasilyhavebeenmistakenforacalcareoustuff,butitcontainsnolime:thissubstancepreciselyresemblesamostwidelyextendedandthickformationinSouthernPatagonia,hereaftertobedescribed,andwhichisremarkableforbeingpartiallyformedofinfusoria。Thesebeds,conjointlywiththeconglomerateofpumice,areinteresting,asshowingthenatureofthevolcanicactionintheCordilleraduringthisoldtertiaryperiod。
Inabedatthebaseofthesoutherncliffs,M。d’Orbignyfoundtwoextinctfresh-watershells,namely,aUnioandChilina。Thisbedrestedononewithbonesofanextinctrodent,namely,theMegamysPatagoniensis;andthisagainonanotherwithextinctmarineshells。ThespeciesfoundbyM。
d’Orbignyindifferentpartsofthisformationconsistof:——
1。OstreaPatagonica,d’Orbigny,“Voyage,Pal。”(alsoatSt。Fe,andwholecoastofPatagonia)。
2。OstreaFerrarisi,d’Orbigny,“Voyage,Pal。”
3。OstreaAlvarezii,d’Orbigny,“Voyage,Pal。”(alsoatSt。Fe,andS。
Josef)。
4。PectenPatagoniensis,d’Orbigny,“Voyage,Pal。”
5。VenusMunsterii,d’Orbigny,“Voyage,Pal。”(alsoatSt。Fe)。
6。ArcaBonplandiana,d’Orbigny,“Voyage,Pal。”(alsoatSt。Fe)。
AccordingtoM。d’Orbigny,thesandstoneextendswestwardalongthecoastasfarasPortS。Antonio,anduptheR。Negrofarintotheinterior:
northwardItracedittothesouthernsideoftheRioColorado,whereitformsalowdenudedplain。Thisformation,thoughcontemporaneouswiththatoftherestofPatagonia,isquitedifferentinmineralogicalcomposition,beingconnectedwithitonlybytheonethinwhitelayer:thisdifferencemaybereasonablyattributedtothesedimentbroughtdowninancienttimesbytheRioNegro;bywhichagency,also,wecanunderstandthepresenceofthefresh-watershells,andofthebonesoflandanimals。Judgingfromtheidentityoffouroftheaboveshells,thisformationiscontemporaneous(asremarkedbyM。d’Orbigny)withthatunderthePampeandepositinEntreRiosandinBandaOriental。Thegravelcappingthesandstoneplain,withitscalcareouscementandnodulesofgypsum,isprobably,fromthereasonsgivenintheFirstChapter,contemporaneouswiththeuppermostbedsofthePampeanformationontheupperplainnorthoftheColorado。
SANJOSEF。
Myexaminationherewasveryshort:thecliffsareaboutahundredfeethigh;thelowerthirdconsistsofyellowish-brown,soft,slightlycalcareous,muddysandstone,partsofwhichwhenstruckemitafetidsmell。
InthisbedthegreatOstraeaPatagonica,oftenmarkedwithdendriticmanganeseandsmallcoral-lines,wereextraordinarilynumerous。Ifoundherethefollowingshells:——
1。OstreaPatagonica,d’Orbigny,“Voyage,Pal。”(alsoatSt。FeandwholecoastofPatagonia)。
2。OstreaAlvarezii,d’Orbigny,“Voyage,Pal。”(alsoatSt。FeandR。
Negro)。
3。PectenParanensis,d’Orbigny,“Voyage,Pal。”(alsoatSt。Fe,S。Julian,andPortDesire)。
4。PectenDarwinianus,d’Orbigny,“Voyage,Pal。”(alsoatSt。Fe)。
5。Pectenactinodes,G。B。Sowerby。
6。TerebratulaPatagonica,G。B。Sowerby(alsoS。Julian)。
7。CastsofaTurritella。
ThefourfirstofthesespeciesoccuratSt。FeinEntreRios,andthetwofirstinthesandstoneoftheRioNegro。Abovethisfossiliferousmass,thereisastratumofveryfine-grained,palebrownmudstone,includingnumerouslaminaeofselenite。Allthestrataappearhorizontal,butwhenfollowedbytheeyeforalongdistance,theyareseentohaveasmalleasterlydip。Onthesurfacewehavetheporphyriticgravel,andonitsandwithrecentshells。
NUEVOGULF。
>FromspecimensandnotesgivenmebyLieutenantStokes,itappearsthatthelowerbedconsistsofsoftmuddysandstone,likethatofS。Josef,withmanyimperfectshells,includingthePectenParanensis,d’Orbigny,castsofaTurritellaandScutella。Onthistherearetwostrataofthepalebrownmudstone,alsolikethatofS。Josef,separatedbyadarker-coloured,moreargillaceousvariety,includingtheOstreaPatagonica。ProfessorEhrenberghasexaminedthismudstoneforme:hefindsinitthreealreadyknownmicroscopicorganisms,envelopedinafine-grainedpumiceoustuff,whichI
shallhaveimmediatelytodescribeindetail。Specimensbroughttomefromtheuppermostbed,northoftheRioChupat,consistofthissamesubstance,butofawhitercolour。
Tertiarystrata,suchasheredescribed,appeartoextendalongthewholecoastbetweenRioChupatandPortDesire,exceptwhereinterruptedbytheunderlyingclaystoneporphyry,andbysomemetamorphicrocks;thesehardrocks,Imayadd,arefoundatintervalsoveraspaceofaboutfivedegreesoflatitude,fromPointUniontoapointbetweenPortS。JulianandS。
Cruz,andwillbedescribedintheensuingchapter。ManygiganticspecimensoftheOstraeaPatagonicawerecollectedintheGulfofSt。George。
PORTDESIRE。
Agoodsectionofthelowestfossiliferousmass,aboutfortyfeetinthickness,restingonclaystoneporphyry,isexhibitedafewmilessouthoftheharbour。Theshellssufficientlyperfecttoberecognisedconsistof:——
1。OstreaPatagonica,d’Orbigny,(alsoatSt。Fe,andwholecoastofPatagonia)。
2。PectenParanensis,d’Orbigny,“Voyage,Pal。”(alsoatSt。Fe,S。Josef,S。Julian)。
3。Pectencentralis,G。B。Sowerby(alsoatS。JulianandS。Cruz)。
4。Cucullaeaalta,G。B。Sowerby(alsoatS。Cruz)。
5。Nuculaornata,G。B。Sowerby。
6。TurritellaPatagonica,G。B。Sowerby。
Thefossiliferousstrata,whennotdenuded,areconformablycoveredbyaconsiderablethicknessofthefine-grainedpumiceousmudstone,dividedintotwomasses:thelowerhalfisveryfine-grained,slightlyunctuous,andsocompactastobreakwithasemi-conchoidalfracture,thoughyieldingtothenail;itincludeslaminaeofselenite:theupperhalfpreciselyresemblestheonelayerattheRioNegro,andwiththeexceptionofbeingwhiter,theupperbedsatSanJosefandNuevoGulf。Inneithermassisthereanytracetothenakedeyeoforganicforms。Takingtheentiredeposit,itisgenerallyquitewhite,oryellowish,orfeeblytintedwithgreen;itiseitheralmostfriableunderthefinger,orashardaschalk;itisofeasyfusibility,oflittlespecificgravity,isnotharshtothetouch,adherestothetongue,andwhenbreathedonexhalesastrongaluminousodour;itsometimescontainsaverylittlecalcareousmatter,andtraces(besidestheincludedlaminae)ofgypsum。Underthemicroscope,accordingtoProfessorEhrenberg,itconsistsofminute,triturated,cellular,glassyfragmentsofpumice,withsomebrokencrystals。(“Monatsberichtendekonig。Akad。zuBerlin“vomApril1845。)Intheminuteglassyfragments,ProfessorEhrenbergrecognisesorganicstructures,whichhavebeenaffectedbyvolcanicheat:inthespecimensfromthisplace,andfromPortS。Julian,hefindssixteenPolygastricaandtwelvePhytolitharia。Oftheseorganisms,sevenarenewforms,theothersbeingpreviouslyknown:allareofmarine,andchieflyofoceanic,origin。Thisdeposittothenakedeyeresemblesthecrustwhichoftenappearsonweatheredsurfacesoffeldspathicrocks;itlikewiseresemblesthosebedsofearthyfeldspathicmatter,sometimesinterstratifiedwithporphyriticrocks,asisthecaseinthisverydistrictwiththeunderlyingpurpleclaystoneporphyry。Fromexaminingspecimensunderacommonmicroscope,andcomparingthemwithotherspecimensundoubtedlyofvolcanicorigin,IhadcometothesameconclusionwithProfessorEhrenberg,namely,thatthisgreatdeposit,initsfirstorigin,isofvolcanicnature。
PORTS。JULIAN。
(FIGURE17。SECTIONOFTHESTRATAEXHIBITEDINTHECLIFFSOFTHENINETY
FEETPLAINATPORTS。JULIAN。
(Sectionthroughbedsfromtoptobottom:A,B,C,D,E,F。))
Onthesouthsideoftheharbour,Figure17givesthenatureofthebedsseeninthecliffsoftheninetyfeetplain。Beginningatthetop:——
1st,theearthymass(AA),includingtheremainsoftheMacrauchenia,withrecentshellsonthesurface。
Second,theporphyriticshingle(B),whichinitslowerpartisinterstratified(owing,Ibelieve,toredispositionduringdenudation)withthewhitepumiceousmudstone。
Third,thiswhitemudstone,abouttwentyfeetinthickness,anddividedintotwovarieties(CandD),bothcloselyresemblingthelower,fine-
grained,moreunctuousandcompactkindatPortDesire;and,asatthatplace,includingmuchselenite。
Fourth,afossiliferousmass,dividedintothreemainbeds,ofwhichtheuppermostisthin,andconsistsofferruginoussandstone,withmanyshellsofthegreatoysterandPectenParanensis;themiddlebed(E)isayellowishearthysandstoneaboundingwithScutellae;andthelowestbed(F)
isanindurated,greenish,sandyclay,includinglargeconcretionsofcalcareoussandstone,manyshellsofthegreatoyster,andinpartsalmostmadeupoffragmentsofBalanidae。Outofthesethreebeds,Iprocuredthefollowingtwelvespecies,ofwhichthetwofirstwereexceedinglynumerousinindividuals,asweretheTerebratulaeandTurritellaeincertainlayers:——
1。OstreaPatagonica,d’Orbigny,“Voyage,Pal。”(alsoatSt。Fe,andwholecoastofPatagonia)。
2。PectenParanensis,d’Orbigny,“Voyage,Pal。”(St。Fe,S。Josef,PortDesire)。
3。Pectencentralis,G。B。Sowerby(alsoatPortDesireandS。Cruz)。
4。Pectengeminatus,G。B。Sowerby。
5。TerebratulaPatagonica,G。B。Sowerby(alsoS。Josef)。
6。Struthiolariaornata,G。B。Sowerby(alsoS。Cruz)。
7。FususPatagonicus,G。B。Sowerby。
8。FususNoachinus,G。B。Sowerby。
9。Scalariarugulosa,G。B。Sowerby。
10。Turritellaambulacrum,G。B。Sowerby(alsoS。Cruz)。
11。Pyrula,castof,likeP。ventricosaofSowerby,TankCat。
12。Balanusvarians,G。B。Sowerby。
13。Scutella,differingfromthespeciesfromNuevoGulf。
AttheheadoftheinnerharbourofPortS。Julian,thefossiliferousmassisnotdisplayed,andthesea-cliffsfromthewater’sedgetoaheightofbetweenoneandtwohundredfeetareformedofthewhitepumiceousmudstone,whichhereincludesinnumerable,far-extended,sometimeshorizontal,sometimesinclinedorverticallaminaeoftransparentgypsum,oftenaboutaninchinthickness。Furtherinland,withtheexceptionofthesuperficialgravel,thewholethicknessofthetruncatedhills,whichrepresentaformerlycontinuousplain950feetinheight,appearstobeformedofthiswhitemudstone:hereandthere,however,atvariousheights,thinearthylayers,containingthegreatoyster,PectenParanensisandTurritellaambulacrum,areinterstratified;thusshowingthatthewholemassbelongstothesameepoch。Inowherefoundevenafragmentofashellactuallyinthewhitedeposit,andonlyasinglecastofaTurritella。OutoftheeighteenmicroscopicorganismsdiscoveredbyEhrenberginthespecimensfromthisplace,tenarecommontothesamedepositatPortDesire。Imayaddthatspecimensofthiswhitemudstone,withthesameidenticalcharacterswerebroughtmefromtwopoints,——onetwentymilesnorthofS。Julian,whereawidegravel-cappedplain,350feetinheight,isthuscomposed;andtheotherfortymilessouthofS。Julian,where,ontheoldcharts,thecliffsaremarkedas“ChalkHills。”
SANTACRUZ。
Thegravel-cappedcliffsatthemouthoftheriverare355feetinheight:
thelowerpart,toathicknessoffiftyorsixtyfeet,consistsofamoreorlesshardened,darkish,muddy,orargillaceoussandstone(likethelowestbedofPortDesire),containingverymanyshells,somesilicifiedandsomeconvertedintoyellowcalcareousspar。Thegreatoysterisherenumerousinlayers;theTrigonoceliaandTurritellaarealsoverynumerous:
itisremarkablethatthePectenParanensis,socommoninallotherpartsofthecoast,ishereabsent:theshellsconsistof:——
1。OstreaPatagonica,d’Orbigny;“VoyagePal。”(alsoatSt。FeandwholecoastofPatagonia)。
2。Pectencentralis,G。B。Sowerby(alsoP。DesireandS。Julian)。
3。VenusmeridionalisofG。B。Sowerby。
4。CrassatellaLyellii,G。B。Sowerby。
5。Cardiumpuelchum,G。B。Sowerby。
6。CarditaPatagonica,G。B。Sowerby。
7。Mactrarugata,G。B。Sowerby。
8。MactraDarwinii,G。B。Sowerby。
9。Cucullaeaalta,G。B。Sowerby(alsoP。Desire)。
10。Trigonoceliainsolita,G。B。Sowerby。
11。Nucula(?)glabra,G。B。Sowerby。
12。Crepidulagregaria,G。B。Sowerby。
13。Volutaalta,G。B。Sowerby。
14。Trochuscollaris,G。B。Sowerby。
15。Naticasolida(?),G。B。Sowerby16。Struthiolariaornata,G。B。Sowerby(alsoP。Desire)。
17。Turritellaambulacrum,G。B。Sowerby(alsoP。S。Julian)。
ImperfectfragmentsofthegeneraByssoarca,Artemis,andFusus。
Theupperpartofthecliffisgenerallydividedintothreegreatstrata,differingslightlyincomposition,butessentiallyresemblingthepumiceousmudstoneoftheplacesfarthernorth;thedeposit,however,hereismorearenaceous,ofgreaterspecificgravity,andnotsowhite:itisinterlacedwithnumerousthinveins,partiallyorquitefilledwithtransversefibresofgypsum;thesefibresweretooshorttoreachacrossthevein,havetheirextremitiescurvedorbent:inthesameveinswiththegypsum,andlikewiseinseparateveinsaswellasinlittlenests,thereismuchpowderysulphateofmagnesia(asascertainedbyMr。Reeks)inanuncompressedform:
Ibelievethatthissalthasnotheretoforebeenfoundinveins。Ofthethreebeds,thecentraloneisthemostcompact,andmorelikeordinarysandstone:itincludesnumerousflattenedsphericalconcretions,oftenunitedlikeanecklace,composedofhardcalcareoussandstone,containingafewshells:someoftheseconcretionswerefourfeetindiameter,andinahorizontallineninefeetapart,showingthatthecalcareousmattermusthavebeendrawntothecentresofattraction,fromadistanceoffourfeetandahalfonbothsides。Intheupperandlowerfiner-grainedstrata,therewereotherconcretionsofagreycolour,containingcalcareousmatter,andsofine-grainedandcompact,asalmosttoresembleporcelain-
rock:IhaveseenexactlysimilarconcretionsinavolcanictufaceousbedinChiloe。Althoughinthisupperfine-grainedstrata,organicremainswereveryrare,yetInoticedafewofthegreatoyster;andinoneincludedsoftferruginouslayer,thereweresomespecimensoftheCucullaeaalta(foundatPortDesireinthelowerfossiliferousmass)andoftheMactrarugata,whichlattershellhasbeenpartiallyconvertedintogypsum。
(FIGURE18。SECTIONOFTHEPLAINSOFPATAGONIA,ONTHEBANKSOFTHES。
CRUZ。
(Sectionthroughstrata(fromtoptobottom)):
Surfaceofplainwitherraticboulders;1,146feetabovethesea。
a。Gravelandboulders,212feetthick。
b。Basalticlava,322feetthick。
c,dande。Sedimentarylayers,bedofsmallpebblesandtalusrespectively,total592feetthick。
RiverofS。Cruz;here280feetabovesea。)
InascendingthevalleyoftheS。Cruz,theupperstrataofthecoast-
cliffsareprolonged,withnearlythesamecharacters,forfiftymiles:ataboutthispoint,theybegininthemostgradualandscarcelyperceptiblemanner,tobebandedwithwhitelines;andafterascendingtenmilesfarther,wemeetwithdistinctthinlayersofwhitish,greenish,andyellowishfine-grained,fusiblesediments。Ateightymilesfromthecoast,inacliffthuscomposed,therewereafewlayersofferruginoussandstone,andofanargillaceoussandstonewithconcretionsofmarllikethoseinthePampas。(Atthisspot,foraspaceofthree-quartersofamilealongthenorthsideoftheriver,andforawidthofhalfamile,therehasbeenagreatslip,whichhasformedhillsbetweensixtyandseventyfeetinheight,andhastiltedthestrataintohighlyinclinedandevenverticalpositions。Thestratagenerallydippedatanangleof45degreestowardstheclifffromwhichtheyhadslided。Ihaveobservedinslips,bothonasmallandlargescale,thatthisinwarddipisverygeneral。Isitduetothehydrostaticpressureofwaterpercolatingwithdifficultythroughthestrataactingwithgreaterforceatthebaseofthemassthanagainsttheupperpart?)Atonehundredmilesfromthecoast,thatisatacentralpointbetweentheAtlanticandtheCordillera,wehavethesectioninFigure18。
Theupperhalfofthesedimentarymass,underthebasalticlava,consistsofinnumerablezonesofperfectlywhitebrightgreen,yellowishandbrownish,fine-grained,sometimesincoherent,sedimentarymatter。Thewhite,pumiceous,trachytictuff-likevarietiesareofrathergreaterspecificgravitythanthepumiceousmudstoneonthecoasttothenorth;
someofthelayers,especiallythebrownerones,arecoarser,sothatthebrokencrystalsaredistinguishablewithaweaklens。Thelayersvaryincharacterinshortdistances。WiththeexceptionofafewoftheOstreaPatagonica,whichappearedtohaverolleddownfromthecliffabove,noorganicremainswerefound。Thechiefdifferencebetweentheselayerstakenasawhole,andtheupperbedsbothatthemouthoftheriverandonthecoastnorthward,seemstolieintheoccasionalpresenceofmorecolouringmatter,andinthesupplyhavingbeenintermittent;thesecharacters,aswehaveseen,verygraduallydisappearindescendingthevalley,andthisfactmayperhapsbeaccountedforbythecurrentsofamoreopenseahavingblendedtogetherthesedimentfromadistantandintermittentsource。
Thecolouredlayersintheforegoingsectionrestonamass,apparentlyofgreatthickness(butmuchhiddenbythetalus),ofsoftsandstone,almostcomposedofminutepebbles,fromone-tenthtotwo-tenthsofaninchindiameter,oftherocks(withtheentireexceptionofthebasalticlava)
composingthegreatbouldersonthesurfaceoftheplain,andprobablycomposingtheneighbouringCordillera。Fivemileshigherupthevalley,andagainthirtymileshigherup(thatistwentymilesfromthenearestrangeoftheCordillera),thelowerplainincludedwithintheupperescarpments,isformed,asseenonthebanksoftheriver,ofanearlysimilarbutfiner-grained,moreearthy,laminatedsandstone,alternatingwithargillaceousbeds,andcontainingnumerousmoderatelysizedpebblesofthesamerocks,andsomeshellsofthegreatOstreaPatagonica。(Ifoundatbothplaces,butnotinsitu,quantitiesofconiferousandordinarydicotyledonoussilicifiedwood,whichwasexaminedformebyMr。R。Brown。)
Asmostoftheseshellshadbeenrolledbeforebeinghereembedded,theirpresencedoesnotprovethatthesandstonebelongstothegreatPatagoniantertiaryformation,fortheymighthavebeenredepositedinit,whenthevalleyexistedasasea-strait;butasamongstthepebblestherewerenoneofbasalt,althoughthecliffsonbothsidesofthevalleyarecomposedofthisrock,Ibelievethatthesandstonedoesbelongtothisformation。Atthehighestpointtowhichweascended,twentymilesdistantfromthenearestslopeoftheCordillera,Icouldseethehorizontallyzonedwhitebeds,stretchingundertheblackbasalticlava,closeuptothemountains;
sothatthevalleyoftheS。CruzgivesafairideaoftheconstitutionofthewholewidthofPatagonia。
BASALTICLAVAOFTHES。CRUZ。
Thisformationisfirstmetwithsixty-sevenmilesfromthemouthoftheriver;thenceitextendsuninterruptedly,generallybutnotexclusivelyonthenorthernsideofthevalley,closeuptotheCordillera。Thebasaltisgenerallyblackandfine-grained,butsometimesgreyandlaminated;itcontainssomeolivine,andhighupthevalleymuchglassyfeldspar,where,also,itisoftenamygdaloidal;itisneverhighlyvesicular,exceptonthesidesofrentsandontheupperandlower,sphericallylaminatedsurfaces。
Itisoftencolumnar;andinoneplaceIsawmagnificentcolumns,eachfacetwelvefeetinwidth,withtheirintersticesfilledupwithcalcareoustuff。Thestreamsrestconformablyonthewhitesedimentarybeds,butI
nowheresawtheactualjunction;nordidIanywhereseethewhitebedsactuallysuperimposedonthelava;butsomewayupthevalleyatthefootoftheuppermostescarpments,theymustbethussuperimposed。Moreover,atthelowestpointdownthevalley,wherethestreamsthinoutandterminateinirregularprojections,thespacesorintervalsbetweentheseprojectionsarefilleduptothelevelofthenowdenudedandgravel-cappedsurfacesoftheplains,withthewhite-zonedsedimentarybeds;provingthatthismattercontinuedtobedepositedafterthestreamshadflowed。Hencewemayconcludethatthebasaltiscontemporaneouswiththeupperpartsofthegreattertiaryformation。
Thelavawherefirstmetwithis130feetinthickness:itthereconsistsoftwo,three,orperhapsmorestreams,dividedfromeachotherbyvesicularspheroidslikethoseonthesurface。Fromthestreamshaving,asitappears,extendedtodifferentdistances,theterminalpointsareofunequalheights。Generallythesurfaceofthebasaltissmooththeminoneparthighupthevalley,itwassounevenandhummocky,thatuntilI
afterwardssawthestreamsextendingcontinuouslyonbothsidesofthevalleyuptoaheightofaboutthreethousandfeetclosetotheCordillera,Ithoughtthatthecratersoferuptionwereprobablycloseathand。ThishummockysurfaceIbelievetohavebeencausedbythecrossingandheapingupofdifferentstreams。Inoneplace,therewereseveralroundedridgesabouttwentyfeetinheight,someofthemasbroadashigh,andsomebroader,whichcertainlyhadbeenformedwhilstthelavawasfluid,forintransversesectionseachridgewasseentobeconcentricallylaminated,andtobecomposedofimperfectcolumnsradiatingfromcommoncentres,likethespokesofwheels。
Thebasalticmasswherefirstmetwithis,asIhavesaid,130feetinthickness,and,thirty-fivemileshigherupthevalley,itincreasesto322
feet。Inthefirstfourteenandahalfmilesofthisdistance,theuppersurfaceofthelava,judgingfromthreemeasurementstakenabovetheleveloftheriver(ofwhichtheapparentlyveryuniforminclinationhasbeencalculatedfromitstotalheightatapoint135milesfromthemouth),slopestowardstheAtlanticatanangleofonly0degrees7minutestwentyseconds:thismustbeconsideredonlyasanapproximatemeasurement,butitcannotbefarwrong。Takingthewholethirty-fivemiles,theuppersurfaceslopesatanangleof0degrees10minutes53seconds;butthisresultisofnovalueinshowingtheinclinationofanyonestream,forhalfwaybetweenthetwopointsofmeasurement,thesurfacesuddenlyrisesbetweenonehundredandtwohundredfeet,apparentlycausedbysomeoftheuppermoststreamshavingextendedthusfarandnofarther。Fromthemeasurementmadeatthesetwopoints,thirty-fivemilesapart,themeaninclinationofthesedimentarybeds,overwhichthelavahasflowed,isNOW
(afterelevationfromunderthesea)only0degrees7minutes52seconds:
forthesakeofcomparison,itmaybementionedthatthebottomofthepresentseainalinefromthemouthoftheS。CruztotheFalklandIslands,fromadepthofseventeenfathomstoadepthofeighty-fivefathoms,declinesatanangleof0degrees1minute22seconds;betweenthebeachandthedepthofseventeenfathoms,theslopeisgreater。Fromapointabouthalf-wayupthevalley,thebasalticmassrisesmoreabruptlytowardsthefootoftheCordillera,namely,fromaheightof1,204feet,toabout3,000feetabovethesea。
Thisgreatdelugeoflavaisworthy,initsdimensions,ofthegreatcontinenttowhichitbelongs。TheaggregatestreamshaveflowedfromtheCordilleratoadistance(unparalleled,Ibelieve,inanycaseyetknown)
ofaboutonehundredgeographicalmiles。Neartheirfurthestextremitytheirtotalthicknessis130feet,whichincreasethirty-fivemilesfartherinland,aswehavejustseen,to322feet。TheleastinclinationgivenbyM。E。deBeaumontoftheuppersurfaceofalava-stream,namely0degrees30minutes,isthatofthegreatsubaerialeruptionin1783fromSkaptarJukulinIceland;andM。E。deBeaumontshowsthatitmusthavefloweddownameaninclinationoflessthan0degrees20minutes。(“Memoirespourservir“etc。pages178and217。)Butwenowseethatunderthepressureofthesea,successivestreamshaveflowedoverasmoothbottomwithameaninclinationofnotmorethan0degrees7minutes52seconds;andthattheuppersurfaceoftheterminalportion(overaspaceoffourteenandahalfmiles)hasaninclinationofnotmorethan0degrees7minutes20seconds。
IftheelevationofPatagoniahasbeengreaternearertheCordillerathanneartheAtlantic(asisprobable),thentheseanglesarenowalltoolarge。Imustrepeat,thatalthoughtheforegoingmeasurements,whichwereallcarefullytakenwiththebarometer,maynotbeabsolutelycorrect,theycannotbewidelyerroneous。
SouthwardoftheS。Cruz,thecliffsofthe840feetplainextendtoCoyInlet,andowingtothenakedpatchesofthewhitesediment,theyaresaidonthechartstobe“likethecoastofKent。”AtCoyInletthehighplaintrendsinland,leavingflat-toppedoutliers。AtPortGallegos(latitude51
degrees35minutes,andninetymilessouthofS。Cruz),IaminformedbyCaptainSulivan,R。N。thatthereisagravel-cappedplainfromtwotothreehundredfeetinheight,formedofnumerousstrata,somefine-grainedandpale-coloured,liketheupperbedsatthemouthoftheS。Cruz,othersratherdarkandcoarser,soastoresemblegritstonesortuffs;theselatterincluderatherlargefragmentsofapparentlydecomposedvolcanicrocks;thereare,also,includedlayersofgravel。Thisformationishighlyremarkable,fromaboundingwithmammiferousremains,whichhavenotasyetbeenexaminedbyProfessorOwen,butwhichincludesomelarge,butmostlysmall,speciesofPachydermata,Edentata,andRodentia。Fromtheappearanceofthepale-coloured,fine-grainedbeds,IwasinclinedtobelievethattheycorrespondedwiththeupperbedsoftheS。Cruz;butProfessorEhrenberg,whohasexaminedsomeofthespecimens,informsmethattheincludedmicroscopicalorganismsarewhollydifferent,beingfreshandbrackish-waterforms。HencethetwotothreehundredfeetplainatPortGallegosisofunknownage,butprobablyofsubsequentorigintothegreatPatagoniantertiaryformation。
EASTERNTIERRADELFUEGO。
Judgingfromtheheight,thegeneralappearance,andthewhitecolourofthepatchesvisibleonthehillsides,theuppermostplain,bothonthenorthandwesternsideoftheStraitofMagellan,andalongtheeasterncoastofTierradelFuegoasfarsouthasnearPortSt。Polycarp,probablybelongstothegreatPatagoniantertiaryformation,Thesehighertable-
rangesarefringedbylow,irregular,extensiveplains,belongingtotheboulderformation(Describedinthe“GeologicalTransactions“volume6page415。),andcomposedofcoarseunstratifiedmasses,sometimesassociated(asnorthofC。Virgin’s)withfine,laminated,muddysandstones。ThecliffsinSebastianBayare200feetinheight,andarecomposedoffinesandstones,oftenincurvilinearlayers,includinghardconcretionsofcalcareoussandstone,andlayersofgravel。Inthesebedstherearefragmentsofwood,legsofcrabs,barnaclesencrustedwithcorallinesstillpartiallyretainingtheircolour,imperfectfragmentsofaPholasdistinctfromanyknownspecies,andofaVenus,approachingverycloselyto,butslightlydifferentinformfrom,theV。lenticularis,aspecieslivingonthecoastofChile。Leavesoftreesarenumerousbetweenthelaminaeofthemuddysandstone;theybelong,asIaminformedbyDr。J。D。Hooker,tothreespeciesofdeciduousbeech,differentfromthetwospecieswhichcomposethegreatproportionoftreesinthisforest-cladland。(“BotanyoftheAntarcticVoyage“page212。)Fromthesefactsitisdifficulttoconjecture,whetherwehereseethebasalpartofthegreatPatagonianformation,orsomelaterdeposit。
SUMMARYONTHEPATAGONIANTERTIARYFORMATION。
Fouroutofthesevenfossilshells,fromSt。FeinEntreRios,werefoundbyM。d’OrbignyinthesandstoneoftheRioNegro,andbymeatSanJosef。
ThreeoutofthesixfromSanJosefareidenticalwiththosefromPortDesireandS。Julian,whichtwoplaceshavetogetherfifteenspecies,outofwhichthreearecommontoboth。SantaCruzhasseventeenspecies,outofwhichfivearecommontoPortDesireandS。Julian。Consideringthedifferenceinlatitudebetweentheseseveralplaces,andthesmallnumberofspeciesaltogethercollected,namelythirty-six,Iconceivetheaboveproportionalnumberofspeciesincommon,issufficienttoshowthatthelowerfossiliferousmassbelongsnearly,Idonotsayabsolutely,tothesameepoch。Whatthisepochmaybe,comparedwiththeEuropeantertiarystages,M。d’Orbignywillnotpretendtodetermine。Thethirty-sixspecies(includingthosecollectedbymyselfandbyM。d’Orbigny)areallextinct,oratleastunknown;butitshouldbeborneinmind,thatthepresentcoastconsistsofshingle,andthatnoone,Ibelieve,hasdredgedhereforshells;henceitisnotimprobablethatsomeofthespeciesmayhereafterbefoundliving。Somefewofthespeciesarecloselyrelatedwithexistingones;thisisespeciallythecase,accordingtoM。d’OrbignyandMr。
Sowerby,withtheFususPatagonicus;and,accordingtoMr。Sowerby,withthePyrula,theVenusmeridionalis,theCrepidulagregaria,andtheTurritellaambulacrum,andT。Patagonica。Atleastthreeofthegenera,namely,Cucullaea,Crassatella,and(asdeterminedbyMr。Sowerby)
Struthiolaria,arenotfoundinthisquarteroftheworld;andTrigonoceliaisextinct。Theevidencetakenaltogetherindicatesthatthisgreattertiaryformationisofconsiderableantiquity;butwhentreatingoftheChileanbeds,Ishallhavetoreferagaintothissubject。
Thewhitepumiceousmudstone,withitsabundantgypsum,belongstothesamegeneralepochwiththeunderlyingfossiliferousmass,asmaybeinferredfromtheshellsincludedintheintercalatedlayersatNuevoGulf,S。
Julian,andS。Cruz。Outofthetwenty-sevenmarinemicroscopicstructuresfoundbyProfessorEhrenberginthespecimensfromS。JulianandPortDesire,tenarecommontothesetwoplaces:thethreefoundatNuevoGulfaredistinct。Ihaveminutelydescribedthisdeposit,fromitsremarkablecharactersanditswideextension。FromCoyInlettoPortDesire,adistanceof230miles,itiscertainlycontinuous;andIhavereasontobelievethatitlikewiseextendstotheRioChupat,NuevoGulf,andSanJosef,adistanceof570miles:wehave,also,seenthatasinglelayeroccursattheRioNegro。AtPortS。Julianitisfromeighttoninehundredfeetinthickness;andatS。Cruzitextends,withaslightlyalteredcharacter,uptotheCordillera。Fromitsmicroscopicstructure,andfromitsanalogywithotherformationsinvolcanicdistricts,itmustbeconsideredasoriginallyofvolcanicorigin:itmayhavebeenformedbythelong-continuedattritionofvastquantitiesofpumice,orjudgingfromthemannerinwhichthemassbecomes,inascendingthevalleyofS。Cruz,dividedintovariouslycolouredlayers,fromthelong-continuederuptionofcloudsoffineashes。Ineithercase,wemustconclude,thatthesouthernvolcanicorificesoftheCordillera,nowinadormantstate,wereataboutthisperiodoverawidespace,andforagreatlengthoftime,inaction。
Wehaveevidenceofthisfact,inthelatitudeoftheRioNegro,inthesandstone-conglomeratewithpumice,anddemonstrativeproofofit,atS。
Cruz,inthevastdelugesofbasalticlava:atthissametertiaryperiod,also,thereisdistinctevidenceofvolcanicactioninWesternBandaOriental。
ThePatagoniantertiaryformationextendscontinuously,judgingfromfossilsalone,fromS。CruztoneartheRioColorado,adistanceofabovesixhundredmiles,andreappearsoverawideareainEntreRiosandBandaOriental,makingatotaldistanceof1,100miles;butthisformationundoubtedlyextends(thoughnofossilswerecollected)farsouthoftheS。
Cruz,and,accordingtoM。d’Orbigny,120milesnorthofSt。Fe。AtS。Cruzwehaveseenthatitextendsacrossthecontinent;beingonthecoastabouteighthundredfeetinthickness(andrathermoreatS。Julian),andrisingwiththecontemporaneouslava-streamstoaheightofaboutthreethousandfeetatthebaseoftheCordillera。Itrests,whereveranyunderlyingformationcanbeseen,onplutonicandmetamorphicrocks。IncludingthenewerPampeandeposit,andthosestratainEasternTierradelFuegoofdoubtfulage,aswellastheboulderformation,wehavealineofmorethantwenty-sevendegreesoflatitude,equaltothatfromtheStraitsofGibraltartothesouthofIceland,continuouslycomposedoftertiaryformations。Throughoutthisgreatspacethelandhasbeenupraised,withoutthestratahavingbeeninasingleinstance,asfarasmymeansofobservationwent,unequallytiltedordislocatedbyafault。
TERTIARYFORMATIONSONTHEWESTCOAST。
CHONOSARCHIPELAGO。
Thenumerousislandsofthisgroup,withtheexceptionofLemus,Ypun,consistofmetamorphicschists;thesetwoislandsareformedofsoftishgreyandbrown,fusible,oftenlaminatedsandstones,containingafewpebbles,fragmentsofblacklignite,andnumerousmammillatedconcretionsofhardcalcareoussandstone。OutoftheseconcretionsatYpun(latitude40
degrees30minutesS。),Iextractedthefourfollowingextinctspeciesofshells:——
1。Turritellasuturalis,G。B。Sowerby(alsoNavidad)。
2。Sigaretussubglobosus,G。B。Sowerby(alsoNavidad)。
3。Cytheraea(?)sulculosa(?),G。B。Sowerby(alsoChiloeandHuafo?)。
4。Voluta,fragmentsof。
Inthenorthernpartsofthisgrouptherearesomecliffsofgravelandoftheboulderformation。Inthesouthernpart(atP。AndresinTresMontes),thereisavolcanicformation,probablyoftertiaryorigin。Thelavasattainathicknessoffromtwotothreehundredfeet;theyareextremelyvariableincolourandnature,beingcompact,orbrecciated,orcellular,oramygdaloidalwithzeolite,agateandbole,orporphyriticwithglassyalbiticfeldspar。Thereisalsomuchimperfectrubblypitchstone,withtheintersticeschargedwithpowderycarbonateoflimeapparentlyofcontemporaneousorigin。Theselavasareconformablyassociatedwithstrataofbrecciaandofbrowntuffcontaininglignite。Thewholemasshasbeenbrokenupandtiltedatanangleof45degrees,byaseriesofgreatvolcanicdikes,oneofwhichwasthirtyyardsinbreadth。Thisvolcanicformationresemblesone,presentlytobedescribed,inChiloe。
HUAFO。
ThisislandliesbetweentheChonosandChiloegroups:itisabouteighthundredfeethigh,andperhapshasanucleusofmetamorphicrocks。ThestratawhichIexaminedconsistedoffine-grainedmuddysandstones,withfragmentsofligniteandconcretionsofcalcareoussandstone。Icollectedthefollowingextinctshells,ofwhichtheTurritellawasingreatnumbers:——
1。Bullacosmophila,G。B。Sowerby。
2。Pleurotomasubaequalis,G。B。Sowerby。
3。Fususcleryanus,d’Orbigny,“VoyagePal。”(alsoatCoquimbo)。
4。Tritonleucostomoides,G。B。Sowerby。
5。TurritellaChilensis,G。B。Sowerby(alsoMocha)。
6。Venus,probablyadistinctspecies,butveryimperfect。
7。Cytheraea(?)sulculosa(?),probablyadistinctspecies,butveryimperfect。
8。Dentaliummajus,G。B。Sowerby。
CHILOE。
Thisfineislandisaboutonehundredmilesinlength。Theentiresouthernpart,andthewholewesterncoast,consistsofmica-schist,whichlikewiseisseenintheravinesoftheinterior。Thecentralmountainsrisetoaheightof3,000feet,andaresaidtobepartlyformedofgraniteandgreenstone:therearetwosmallvolcanicdistricts。Theeasterncoast,andlargepartsofthenorthernextremityoftheislandarecomposedofgravel,theboulderformation,andunderlyinghorizontalstrata。ThelatterarewelldisplayedfortwentymilesnorthandsouthofCastro;theyvaryincharacterfromcommonsandstonetofine-grained,laminatedmudstones:allthespecimenswhichIexaminedareeasilyfusible,andsomeofthebedsmightbecalledvolcanicgrit-stones。TheselatterstrataareperhapsrelatedtoamassofcolumnartrachytewhichoccursbehindCastro。Thesandstoneoccasionallyincludespebbles,andmanyfragmentsandlayersoflignite;ofthelatter,someareapparentlyformedofwoodandothersofleaves:onelayerontheN。W。sideofLemuyisnearlytwofeetinthickness。Thereisalsomuchsilicifiedwood,bothcommondicotyledonousandconiferous:asectionofonespecimeninthedirectionofthemedullaryrayshas,asIaminformedbyMr。R。Brown,thediscsinadoublerowplacedalternately,andnotoppositeasinthetrueAraucaria。Ifoundmarineremainsonlyinonespot,insomeconcretionsofhardcalcareoussandstone:inseveralotherdistrictsIhaveobservedthatorganicremainswereexclusivelyconfinedtosuchconcretions;arewetoaccountforthisfact,bythesuppositionthattheshellslivedonlyatthesepoints,orisitnotmoreprobablethattheirremainswerepreservedonlywhereconcretionswereformed?Theshellshereareinabadstate,theyconsistof:——
1。Tellinides(?)oblonga,G。B。Sowerby(asolenellainM。d’Orbigny’sopinion)。
2。Naticastriolata,G。B。Sowerby。
3。Natica(?)pumila,G。B。Sowerby。
4。Cytheraea(?)sulculosa,G。B。Sowerby(alsoYpunandHuafo?)。
Atthenorthernextremityoftheisland,nearS。Carlos,thereisalargevolcanicformation,betweenfiveandsevenhundredfeetinthickness。Thecommonestlavaisblackish-greyorbrown,eithervesicular,oramygdaloidalwithcalcareoussparandbole:mostevenofthedarkestvarietiesfuseintoapale-colouredglass。Thenextcommonestvarietyisarubbly,rarelywellcharacterisedpitchstone(fusingintoawhiteglass)whichpassesinthemostirregularmannerintostonygreylavas。Thispitchstone,aswellassomepurpleclaystoneporphyry,certainlyflowedintheformofstreams。
Thesevariouslavasoftenpass,ataconsiderabledepthfromthesurface,inthemostabruptandsingularmannerintowacke。Greatmassesofthesolidrockarebrecciated,anditwasgenerallyimpossibletodiscoverwhethertherecementingprocesshadbeenanigneousoraqueousaction。(Inacliffofthehardestfragmentarymass,Ifoundseveraltortuous,verticalveins,varyinginthicknessfromafewtenthsofaninchtooneinchandahalf,ofasubstancewhichIhavenotseendescribed。Itisglossy,andofabrowncolour;itisthinlylaminated,withthelaminaetransparentandelastic;itisalittleharderthancalcareousspar;itisinfusibleundertheblowpipe,sometimesdecrepitates,givesoutwater,curlsup,blackens,andbecomesmagnetic。Boraxeasilydissolvesaconsiderablequantityofit,andgivesaglasstingedwithgreen。Ihavenoideawhatitstruenatureis。Onfirstseeingit,Imistookitforlignite!)Thebedsareobscurelyseparatedfromeachother;theyaresometimespartedbyseamsoftuffandlayersofpebbles。Inoneplacetheyrestedon,andinanotherplacewerecappedby,tuffsandgirt-stones,apparentlyofsubmarineorigin。
TheneighbouringpeninsulaofLacuyisalmostwhollyformedoftufaceousdeposits,connectedprobablyintheiroriginwiththevolcanichillsjustdescribed。Thetuffsarepale-coloured,alternatingwithlaminatedmudstonesandsandstones(alleasilyfusible),andpassingsometimesintofine-grainedwhitebedsstrikinglyresemblingthegreatupperinfusorialdepositofPatagonia,andsometimesintobrecciolaswithpiecesofpumiceinthelaststageofdecay;theseagainpassintoordinarycoarsebrecciasandconglomeratesofhardrocks。Withinveryshortdistances,someofthefinertuffsoftenpassedintoeachotherinapeculiarmanner,namely,byirregularpolygonalconcretionsofonevarietyincreasingsomuchandsosuddenlyinsize,thatthesecondvariety,insteadofanylongerformingtheentiremass,wasleftmerelyinthinveinsbetweentheconcretions。Inastraightlineofcliffs,atPointTenuy,Iexaminedthefollowingremarkablesection(Figure19):——
(FIGURE19。)
Onthelefthand,thelowerpart(AA)consistsofregular,alternatingstrataofbrowntuffsandgreenishlaminatedmudstone,gentlyinclinedtotheright,andconformablycoveredbyamass(Bleft)ofawhite,tufaceousandbrecciolateddeposit。Ontherighthand,thewholecliff(BBright)
consistsofthesamewhitetufaceousmatter,whichonthissidepresentsscarcelyatraceofstratification,buttotheleftbecomesverygraduallyandratherindistinctlydividedintostrataquiteconformablewiththeunderlyingbeds(AA):moreover,afewhundredyardsfurthertotheleft,wherethesurfacehasbeenlessdenuded,thetufaceousstrata(Bleft)areconformablycoveredbyanothersetofstrata,liketheunderlyingones(AA)
ofthissection。Inthemiddleofthediagram,thebeds(AA)areseentobeabruptlycutoff,andtoabutagainstthetufaceousnon-stratifiedmass;
butthelineofjunctionhasbeenaccidentallynotrepresentedsteepenough,forIparticularlynoticedthatbeforethebedshadbeentiltedtotheright,thislinemusthavebeennearlyvertical。Itappearsthatacurrentofwatercutforitselfadeepandsteepsubmarinechannel,andatthesametimeorafterwardsfilleditupwiththetufaceousandbrecciolatedmatter,andspreadthesameoverthesurroundingsubmarinebeds;thematterbecomingstratifiedinthesemoredistantandlesstroubledparts,andbeingmoreoversubsequentlycoveredupbyotherstrata(likeAA)notshowninthediagram。Itissingularthatthreeofthebeds(ofAA)areprolongedintheirproperdirection,asrepresented,beyondthelineofjunctionintothewhitetufaceousmatter:theprolongedportionsoftwoofthebedsarerounded;inthethird,theterminalfragmenthasbeenpushedupwards:howthesebedscouldhavebeenleftthusprolonged,Iwillnotpretendtoexplain。Inanothersectionontheoppositesideofapromontory,therewasatthefootofthissamelineofjunction,thatisatthebottomoftheoldsubmarinechannel,apileoffragmentsofthestrata(AA),withtheirintersticesfilledupwithwhitetufaceousmatter:thisisexactlywhatmighthavebeenanticipatedundersuchcircumstances。
(FIGURE20。GROUNDPLANSHOWINGTHERELATIONBETWEENVEINSAND
CONCRETIONARYZONESINAMASSOFTUFF。)
ThevarioustufaceousandotherbedsatthisnorthernendofChiloeprobablybelongtoaboutthesameagewiththosenearCastro,andtheycontain,asthere,manyfragmentsofblackligniteandofsilicifiedandpyritouswood,oftenembeddedclosetogether。Theyalsocontainmanyandsingularconcretions:someareofhardcalcareoussandstone,inwhichitwouldappearthatbrokenvolcaniccrystalsandscalesofmicahavebeenbetterpreserved(asinthecaseoftheorganicremainsnearCastro)thaninthesurroundingmass。Otherconcretionsinthewhitebrecciolaareofahard,ferruginous,yetfusible,nature;theyareasroundascannon-balls,andvaryfromtwoorthreeinchestotwofeetindiameter;theirinsidesgenerallyconsisteitheroffine,scarcelycoherentvolcanicsand(Thefrequenttendencyinirontoformhollowconcretionsorshellcontainingincoherentmatterissingular;D’Aubuisson(“TraitedeGeogn。”tome1page318)remarksonthiscircumstance。),orofanargillaceoustuff;inthislattercase,theexternalcrustwasquitethinandhard。Someofthesesphericalballswereencircledinthelineoftheirequators,byanecklace-likerowofsmallerconcretions。Againtherewereotherconcretions,irregularlyformed,andcomposedofahard,compact,ash-
colouredstone,withanalmostporcelainousfracture,adhesivetothetongue,andwithoutanycalcareousmatter。Thesebedsare,also,interlacedbymanyveins,containinggypsum,ferruginousmatter,calcareousspar,andagate。Itwashereseenwithremarkabledistinctness,howintimatelyconcretionaryactionandtheproductionoffissuresandveinsarerelatedtogether。Figure20isanaccuraterepresentationofahorizontalspaceoftuff,aboutfourfeetlongbytwoandahalfinwidth:thedoublelinesrepresentthefissurespartiallyfilledwithoxideofironandagate:thecurvilinearlinesshowthecourseoftheinnumerable,concentric,concretionaryzonesofdifferentshadesofcolourandofcoarsenessintheparticlesoftuff。Thesymmetryandcomplexityofthearrangementgavethesurfaceanelegantappearance。Itmaybeseenhowobviouslythefissuresdetermine(orhavebeendeterminedby)theshape,sometimesofthewholeconcretion,andsometimesonlyofitscentralparts。Thefissuresalsodeterminethecurvaturesofthelongundulatingzonesofconcretionaryaction。Fromthevaryingcompositionoftheveinsandconcretions,theamountofchemicalactionwhichthemasshasundergoneissurprisinglygreat;anditwouldlikewiseappearfromthedifferenceinsizeintheparticlesoftheconcretionaryzones,thatthemass,also,hasbeensubjectedtointernalmechanicalmovements。
InthepeninsulaofLacuy,thestrataoverawidthoffourmileshavebeenupheavedbythreedistinct,andsomeotherindistinct,linesofelevation,rangingwithinapointofnorthandsouth。Oneline,abouttwohundredfeetinheight,isregularlyanticlinal,withthestratadippingawayonbothsides,atanangleof15degrees,fromacentral“valleyofelevation,“
aboutthreehundredyardsinwidth。Asecondnarrowsteepridge,onlysixtyfeethigh,isuniclinal,thestratathroughoutdippingwestward;thoseonbothflanksbeinginclinedatanangleoffromtentofifteendegrees;
whilstthoseontheridgedipinthesamedirectionatanangleofbetweenthirtyandfortydegrees。Thisridge,tracednorthwards,diesaway;andthebedsatitsterminalpoint,insteadofdippingwestward,areinclined12
degreestothenorth。Thiscaseinterestedme,asbeingthefirstinwhichIfoundinSouthAmerica,formationsperhapsoftertiaryorigin,brokenbylinesofelevation。
VALDIVIA:ISLANDOFMOCHA。
TheformationsofChiloeseemtoextendwithnearlythesamecharactertoValdivia,andforsomeleaguesnorthwardofit:theunderlyingrocksaremicaceousschists,andarecoveredupwithsandstoneandothersedimentarybeds,including,asIwasassured,inmanyplaceslayersoflignite。IdidnotlandonMocha(latitude38degrees20minutes),butMr。Stokesbroughtmespecimensofthegrey,fine-grained,slightlycalcareoussandstone,preciselylikethatofHuafo,containingligniteandnumerousTurritellae。
Theislandisflattopped,1,240feetinheight,andappearslikeanoutlierofthesedimentarybedsonthemainland。Thefewshellscollectedconsistof:——
1。TurritellaChilensis,G。B。Sowerby(alsoatHuafo)。
2。Fusus,veryimperfect,somewhatresemblingF。subreflexusofNavidad,butprobablydifferent。
3。Venus,fragmentsof。
CONCEPCION。
SailingnorthwardfromValdivia,thecoast-cliffsareseen,firsttoassumeneartheR。Tolten,andthencefor150milesnorthward,tobecontinuedwiththesamemineralogicalcharacters,immediatelytobedescribedatConcepcion。Iheardinmanyplacesofbedsoflignite,someofitfineandglossy,andlikewiseofsilicifiedwood;neartheToltenthecliffsarelow,buttheysoonriseinheight;andthehorizontalstrataareprolonged,withanearlylevelsurface,untilcomingtoamoreloftytractbetweenpointsRumenaandLavapie。Herethebedshavebeenbrokenupbyatleasteightornineparallellinesofelevation,rangingE。orE。N。E。andW。orW。S。W。Theselinescanbefollowedwiththeeyemanymilesintotheinterior;theyarealluniclinal,thestrataineachdippingtoapointbetweenS。andS。S。E。withaninclinationinthecentrallinesofaboutfortydegrees,andintheouteronesofundertwentydegrees。Thisbandofsymmetricallytroubledcountryisabouteightmilesinwidth。
TheislandofQuiriquina,intheBayofConcepcion,isformedofvarioussoftandoftenferruginoussandstones,withbandsofpebbles,andwiththelowerstratasometimespassingintoaconglomeraterestingontheunderlyingmetamorphicschists。Thesebedsincludesubordinatelayersofgreenishimpureclay,softmicaceousandcalcareoussandstones,andreddishfriableearthymatterwithwhitespeckslikedecomposedcrystalsoffeldspar;theyinclude,also,hardconcretions,fragmentsofshells,lignite,andsilicifiedwood。Intheupperparttheypassintowhite,softsedimentsandbrecciolas,verylikethosedescribedatChiloe;asindeedisthewholeformation。AtLirguenandotherplacesontheeasternsideofthebay,therearegoodsectionsofthelowersandstones,whicharegenerallyferruginous,butwhichvaryincharacter,andevenpassintoanargillaceousnature;theycontainhardconcretions,fragmentsoflignite,silicifiedwood,andpebbles(ofthesamerockswiththepebblesinthesandstonesofQuiriquina),andtheyalternatewithnumerous,oftenverythinlayersofimperfectcoal,generallyoflittlespecificgravity。Themainbedhereisthreefeetthick;andonlythecoalofthisonebedhasaglossyfracture。Anotherirregular,curvilinearbedofbrown,compactlignite,isremarkableforbeingincludedinamassofcoarsegravel。Theseimperfectcoals,whenplacedinaheap,ignitespontaneously。Thecliffsonthissideofthebay,aswellasontheislandofQuiriquina,arecappedwithredfriableearth,which,asstatedintheSecondChapter,isofrecentformation。Thestratificationinthisneighbourhoodisgenerallyhorizontal;butnearLirguenthebedsdipN。W。atanangleof23degrees;
nearConcepciontheyarealsoinclined:atthenorthernendofQuiriquinatheyhavebeentiltedatanangleof30degrees,andatthesouthernendatanglesvaryingfrom15degreesto40degrees:thesedislocationsmusthavetakenplaceunderthesea。
Acollectionofshells,fromtheislandofQuiriquina,hasbeendescribedbyM。d’Orbigny:theyareallextinct,andfromtheirgenericcharacter,M。
d’Orbignyinferredthattheywereoftertiaryorigin:theyconsistof:——
1。ScalariaChilensis,d’Orbigny,“Voyage,PartPal。”
2。NaticaAraucana,d’Orbigny,“Voyage,PartPal。”
3。Naticaaustralis,d’Orbigny,“Voyage,PartPal。”
4。Fususdifficilis,d’Orbigny,“Voyage,PartPal。”
5。Pyrulalongirostra,d’Orbigny,“Voyage,PartPal。”
6。PleurotomaAraucana,d’Orbigny,“Voyage,PartPal。”
7。Cardiumauca,d’Orbigny,“Voyage,PartPal。”
8。Cardiumacuticostatum,d’Orbigny,“Voyage,PartPal。”
9。Venusauca,d’Orbigny,“Voyage,PartPal。”
10。Mactracecileana,d’Orbigny,“Voyage,PartPal。”
11。MactraAraucana,d’Orbigny,“Voyage,PartPal。”
12。ArcaAraucana,d’Orbigny,“Voyage,PartPal。”
13。NuculaLargillierti,d’Orbigny,“Voyage,PartPal。”
14。TrigoniaHanetiana,d’Orbigny,“Voyage,PartPal。”
Duringasecondvisitofthe“Beagle“toConcepcion,Mr。KentcollectedformesomesilicifiedwoodandshellsoutoftheconcretionsinthesandstonefromTome,situatedashortdistancenorthofLirguen。Theyconsistof:——
1。Naticaaustralis,d’Orbigny,“Voyage,PartPal。”
2。MactraAraucana,d’Orbigny,“Voyage,PartPal。”
3。TrigoniaHanetiana,d’Orbigny,“Voyage,PartPal。”
4。Pecten,fragmentsof,probablytwospecies,buttooimperfectfordescription。
5。Baculitesvagina,E。Forbes。
6。Nautilusd’Orbignyanus,E。Forbes。
Besidestheseshells,CaptainBelcherfoundhereanAmmonite,nearlythreefeetindiameter,andsoheavythathecouldnotbringitaway;fragmentsaredepositedatHaslarHospital:healsofoundthesilicifiedvertebraeofsomeverylargeanimal。(“ZoologyofCaptainBeechey’sVoyage“page163。)