IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I m illM m • 40 M 1 2.0 1.8 i 1.25 1.4 1.6 < 6" — ► V] <^ /}. ^l e. 'W ^1 'W .^^. 6%, •,' O 7 w Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY 14580 (716) 872-4503 iV f^ %^ &. k N> £^\%% O <' % ■%^ <^ CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut canadien de microreproductions historiques ^. 1^ O' <^ Technical and Bibliographic Notes/Notes techniques et bibliographiques The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Features of this copy which may be bibliographically unique, which may alter any of the images in the reproduction, or which may significantly change the usual method of filming, are checked below. D Coloured covers/ Couverture de couleur □ Covers damaged/ Couverture endommagee D Covers restored and/or laminated/ Couverture restaurde et/ou pellicul6e □ Cover title missing/ Le titre de couverture manque I I Coloured maps/ ^ Cartes gdographiques en couleur Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black)/ Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) Coloured plates and/or illustrations/ Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur Bound with other material/ Reli6 avec d'autres documents r~7| Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion □ D along interior margin/ La reliure serree peut causer de I'ombre ou de la distortion le long de la marge int^rieure Blank leaves added during restoration may appear within the text. Whenever possible, these have been omitted from filming/ II se peut que certaines pages blanches ajoutdes lors d'une restauration apparaissent dans le texte, mais, lorsque cela 6tait possible, ces pages n'ont pas 6t6 filmdes. Additional comments:/ Commentaires suppl^mentaires: The to t L'Institut a microfilm^ le meilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a 6t6 possible de se procurer. Les details de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-dtre uniques du point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une modification dans la mdthode normale de filmage sont indiqu^s ci-dessous. I I Coloured pages/ / ^ Pages de couleur Pages damaged/ Pages endommag^es Pages restored and/oi Pages restaur^es et/ou pellicul^es Pages discoloured, stained or foxei Pages d^colordes, tachet6es ou piqu^es Pages detached/ Pages d^tach^es I I Pages damaged/ I I Pages restored and/or laminated/ Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ I I Pages detached/ The pos of 1 filn Orii be( the sioi oth firs sioi or i Showthrough/ Transparence I I Quality of print varies/ Qualit^ in^gale de I'impression Includes supplementary material/ Comprend du materiel supplementaire Only edition available/ Seule Edition disponible Th< she Tl^ wh Ma dif enl be( rigl req me Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata slips, tissues, etc., have been refilmed to ensure the best possible image/ Les pages totalement ou partiellement obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, une pelure, etc., ont 6t^ film^es d nouveau de facon d obtenir la meilleure image possible. This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ Ce document est film6 au taux de reduction indiqu^ ci-dessous. 10X 14X 18X 22X 26X 30X 4 12X 16X 20X 24X 28X 32X ails du idifier une nage The copy filmed here has bean reproduced thanks to the generosity of: National Library of Canada The images appearing here are the best quality possible considering the condition and legibility of the original copy and in keeping with the filming contract specifications. Original copies in printed paper covers are filmed beginning with the front cover and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, or the back cover when appropriate. All other original copies are filmed beginning on the first page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impression. The last recorded frame on each microfiche shall contain the symbol -^ (meaning "CON- TINUED"), or the symbol V (meaning "END"), whichever applies. Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: L'exemplaire film6 fut reproduit grdce d la g6n6rosite de: Bibliothdque nationale du Canada Les images suivantes ont 6t6 reproduites avec le plus grand soin, compte tenu de la condition et de la nettet6 de l'exemplaire filmd, et en conformity avec les conditions du contrat de filmage. Les exemplaires originaux dont la couverture en papier est imprimde sont film6s en commen^ant par le premier plat et en terminant soit par la dernidre page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration, soit par le second plat, selon le cas. Tous les autros exemplaires originaux sont film6s en commengant par la premidre page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration M en terminant par la dernidre page qui comporte une telle empreinte. Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la dernidre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbole — •► signifie "A SUIVRE ", le symbole V signifie "FIN". Les cartas, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre film^s d des taux de reduction diffdrents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour etre reproduit en un seul clich6, il est film6 d partir de Tangle sup6rieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images ndcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. rrata o 3elure, 1 i n 32X 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 im m- 1 • r ] j ! 1 i L^ 4' ^ >. <- ' V, ""-^ 1 ^H \ 'Skit* ''•"WW^ ^if. ■'■ v.rr^^U v^.i..j&yi -* i}ii..>)i '^^•"f S\m,y ♦ . ■»■ ' TTT 's^YWf^l k /.,,.£. _^' '.jaJ **> 1 1 r » ■ ■■!♦• ^■* ' If 1 f ■ ":i ' v- ^^P •», ■ . ■ M- ,. * ' '4 ''' -*o I' - . . , 'V" GEOLOGICAL AND NATURAL HISTORY SURVEY OF CANADA. ALFRED E. C. SELWYN, C'.M.G., LL.D., F.RS., Director. • REPORT ox THE GEOLOGICAL STRUCTURE OF A PORTION OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS, ACCOMPANIED BY A SECTION MEASURED NEAR THK 5l8T PARALLEL. BY E. G. McCONNELL, B.A. PUBLISHED BY AUTH(JRITY OF PARLIAMENT. f!K •I m\ m ■■:n nlWSSi\ ;1;- t^titl^&A '*!■•■ tC^^ %': *l ^ mnW' yk- M ';>' -."-iM MONTEEAL : DAWSON BE0THEE6. 1887. §fi( Alfred E Sir,— T Rocky Mf) of (he p:i.s Ottawa, 3 I Alfked R. 0. Selwyn, C.M.G., LL.D., F.R.S., Director of the Geological and NitturaJ History Survey of Canada. Siu, — I bog to present herewith my report on an exploration in the Riicky Mountains, accompanied by a section moaiiured iu the vicinity of the passes followed by the Canadian Pacific Railway, I have the honor to be, Sir, Your obedient servant. R. G. McCONNELL. Ottawa, 30th April, 1887. 4''1 ■ ■■ ■ , I ^1 w ■ ':) Wi. w-v n H^: •4 : '>■. < II I Mil Thi' tiel( across the system inc and the Co llic rcmiirl >electeil tbi way along wostwiird I railway an portion ol't an! is also tion ot" the ]ironiinent Kepoi't 188 The secti natural one I'ineil with a ei'itaiii ai I'igh! angle would soon lilo ).raetic sary, in nui '•strike, and •The "Gap" the mountains ? REPORT ox THE GEOLOGICAL FEATURES OF A I'OKTION OF TIIR ROCKY MOUNTx\INS, Accompanied uy a Section MHAsruED near theSIst Parai.leu Thf tield seuHon of 1886 was occupied in measuring a general section eleoteil tor this purpose, follows the line of the Canadian Pacific rail- way along the Bow and Wapta (Kicking Horse) Valleys, from Banff wt'Htwartl to Golden City on the Columbia. East of Banff it leaves the laihvay and follows the Devil's Lake valley eastward to its gap* This jiortion of the range was examined in part by Dr. Hector, in 1858-59, Previous anl i.s also included in Dr. Dawson's exploration of the southern por- tion of the Canadian Rocky Mountains, and a description of its more IHomineiit characteristics will be found in his report. (See Annual Keport 1885, part b.) The section accompanying the prcient report is, as far as possible, a^haraoterof natuial one, but the winding character of the route traversed, com- bined with the imperfect topography and ever varying strikes, rendered a certain amount of generalization unavoidable. A line measured at liglit angles to the strike of the beds, if followed for any distance, would soon diverge widely from the dii'ection of the valley and lead iito jiractieally inaccessijle regions, and it was therefore found neces- sary, in many cases, to jog the section for some distance along the strike, and to continue it on the opposite side of the pass. Also in • The " (iap" is a local term used to dosignato tho point at which any oonsidorable valley leaves 'Jie mountiiins- T-i -Ml m ■ ( > : C V THE HOCKY MOUNTAINH. Shorter seplion? illustmtivo of special poiuts. ]tlac'08 whcio tho ox])OsuroH ftlong tho main lino wore dofoctivo or absent . the interval was filled by noigliboiiring parullol soctioiiH. Tlio general section is in reality, thomfore, a combination of a number of shorltir ones, sok'C'teil in the vicinity of tho valleys followed, and measured iit right angles to the local strikes. They ai'o, however, connected along the strike in such a manner as to give as perfect a representation as possible of Jill the beds met with in the range. In regard to the completeness of the work, it may be stated tlmt while much still remains to be done in the way ol" filling in local details, yet tho general features of the section, as presented, are believed to be fairly accurate, and will not be much modified by future investi- gations. In u mountainous and mostly wooded region like the one examined, where the possession of any geological fact implies a long and laborious climb of from 2000 to GOOO feet, tho construction of a section showing all the structural minutiie, becomes an arduous under- taking, and would require a much longer time than the four months or so at my disposal. In addition to the princi})al section a number of shorter parallel sections wore also measured. These serve to illustrate sjtecial points in tho structure of the range, and also show the rapid change in the character of a fault or fold when traced along tho strike. Section D-C was sketched along the northern side of the valley of the south fork of Ghost River, about two miles south of the DevH'w Lake valley. It shows the Cretaceous shales faulted under the Cam- brian rocks at the eastern edge of the mountains, wliila tho same bed-*, or beds belonging to the same group, ovei-lie the paheozoic series a few miles farther west. Section E-F is drawn along tho northern side of tho Bow, through the Faiiholme mountains, and traverses a few miles farther south tho same ranges, as those shown in the princijial section oast of the Cascade trough. Section G shows a Cretaceous outlier which occurs east of the same fault as that seen on the principal section, but about three miles farther north. Sections H and K illustrate the folding of tho Cretaceous beds of the Cascade trough. They were measured eighteen and twenty-throe miles respectively, S.E. of the corresponding point in tho general section. Section M-S starts near tho summit of Johnson Creek, and crosses the Castle Mountain range and the Bow River anticlinal, while section 0-N is drawn across the same anticlinal, about eight miles farther north. m' MCCONNIll.] TOPOOHAI'HV. TOPOORAI'IIY. 7 I) A genoral description of the Bow and Hector (Kiikiii, of paM. ]i. 124 et seq.) and the following,' notes may bo considered as merely >iiIipU'niontary to his sketch, and will only refer in detail to places wiiicli wore not visitctl tiy him. Tlic I'airholnic Moiintain> comprise a group of high ridges and 5^in»uti?n«. tiioiiiitains, bounded on the east by the foot-hillH, on the north by the Devil's Lake valley, and on the south and west by the I'ow. On the east, they rise abruptly from the foot-hills to heights of from 2000 to 40011 foot, and face jdain-wards as a massive escarpment broken by a number of deep valleys. The receding summits of the dirt'orent seg- inenls arc either flat-to)i))0(l or crowned by ruined cliffs, duo to the nnci|ual denudation of the ilolomitic limestone ca])))ing tbein. Tlio western part of the group consists of ridgo-s running parallel, or nearly so, to the Cascade trough, some of which extend, without interruption, northward from the Bow to the Devil's Lake valley. On tlic south, the crosa section cut by the Bow, is alK)Ut seven miles wide, and shows the triangular ends of such ridges throughout, but going niii'tli the group widens out rapidly towards the east, and while the wcslcrii part of the section seen along the Devil's Lake valley, corrcs- pomls in a general way with that on the Bow, the eastern part shows massive square-built mountains of a totally different character, and line to an entirely different set of geological conditions. Wherever the beds arc tilted to any considerable angle, so as tORid/fes' formed cx])iise the upturned edges of the ditl'ercnt limestone and shaly forma- ^ lions, their unequal resistance to denudation is marked by the forma- tiou of deep valleys running lengthwise with the chain, separated by high limestone ridges, whicli are very persistent and are cut only i)y the more important lines of drainage. The projecting crests of these ridges are usually narrow ami worn into a series of Jugged peaks of a nearly uniform height, united by thin, zigzag knife-edges, on which it is often difficult to obtain a footing. In most cases, as in the Cascade -Mnniitain range, such ridges possess a single serrated crest only, but in others, as the Sawback Eauge, several such lines are present. Tiie ajipearance of one of these compound crested ranges, viewed from one of the higher peaks, is wild in the extreme, and is characterized ly the sharply angular and pointed shapes of the profiles, and the entire absence of rounded outlines. On the other hand, wherever the mouutains , . ' wliore beds are ii(\ls are horizontal, or nearly so, the ridge system no longer prevails, lioriiontai. anil the four or five thousand feet of rock, rising above the base-level r "•"HI II ?TT 8d THE ROOKY MOUNTAINS. Large hatin. System of viilleys. ^hinirlein Talleys. Strciim? ilry in luitumii. Height of tuountuitij. Anticlinal mountiiin. of erosion in the valloyn, iscut inti>in'ogiilttr-Mliiipo eaHtorn langos, while towards tho siiinmit thoy i)oc()ino largely rephu!oii,'lit lias the apiiearunco of a series of altornating bands of shale and limt'stono. Tlif Kairholnio Mountains are terminated on the north by the Devil's Tiiikc vallo}', a wide, steep-sided, stroamlcss depression now partially (Kciipic'd liy the Devil's Lake. This valley extends i'roni the ca.seade tiDUirli east to the foot hills, and Joins Ghost Itivor a mile or so from the mountains. Some barometer observations taken by Dr. Dawson ill l>^8.'i, but whieh have only recently been woi-ked out, show that this valU-y has a westerly inclination, anil that the surface of Ghost Jtiver, nl the point whore it flows jmst tlie gaji of the Devil's Lake valley on w^teriy its way to the Itow, is considerably higher than the surface of the lake. |'',^|."i'"'ijX) This fact would seem to indicate that at sonic former period, Ghost ^ """*■' l!i\ or, after leaving thom(mntainH, re-entered them again by this valley and joined the How at HantV. Ds change of course, like that of most streams in the country which have sutlered similar divo.sions, is pro- bably due to a damming of its channel during the glacial jicriod, and the necessity thus imposed upon it of seeking a discharge in a diftbrent direction.* The J'allisoi- Kange is situated north of the Devil's Lake valley, and is Pnniscr Uange. ![' Annual Ht'])ort 1885). West of the Bow it is hounded by the Mnunt Ruiidle ran^c, and farther north by Cascade Mountain, both belonging to the single crested type of longitudinal ridges. The Bow Valley leaves this basin at Banff, and turnini; in a westerly direction breaks through a second system of parallel ridges, almost at right angles. Cascade Mountain, the most easterly of those, I'ises to a height of 0730 feet above the sea, or 0200 above the surface of the valley. Its outline as viewed from the Bow is roughly triangular, ami the inclination of its curved western face is almost identical willi that of the limestone beds of which it is formed. Its western face is banded by steep dirts, marking the points at which the massive beds of the up])er and Lower Bantl" limestone come to the surface, while ic. the altei'nating shaly bands are worn to easier slojies. Mount Eundlo, south of the Bow, is a continuation of the same range, and possesses similar charactei'islics. The range west of Cascade Mountain is unnamed, but may for con- venience be called the Vermilion Lake range, from the name of a lake lying between it and the Bow. ft is separated from Cascade Mountain by Korty-mile Creek, a swift mountain stream, about fifty feet broail. This stream has a somewhat tortuous course. Traced up from its mouth, it first runs for some distance along the western base of Cascade Mountain, from which it cuts off a spur, then bending to the west it bi'eaks through the Vermilion Lake range to the ne.xt valle\', aloiiii' which the main stream continues to its source, while a tributary which it receives from the west interlocks with a branch from Johnson Creek, and forms a rough but pi'acticable pass acro.-s the Sawback I-Jiuige. South of the Bow the Spray River repeats in an opposite direction the course of Forty-mile Creek. The Vermilion Lake range is surmounted by two prominent notched ridges, rising about 4,000 feet above the valley, and separated by a narrow valley due to the more rapid weathering of a band of shales which separates the two peak-forming limestone bands. Toi'rare Mountain, the segment of this range south of the Bow, is somewhai narrower, and is terminated by a single crest. Ai'ound the north-eastern base of this mountain are situated a nimi ber of hot springs, which are reported to i)08sess remarkable medicinal properties, and have already atti-acted large numbers of health-seekers. The country around has been i-eserved lor a national park, and dui'ing the past summer a number of good hotels have been erected, and roads connecting the s])rings with the railway station and v.ith all the objects of interest in the neighbourhood have been surveyed and partly built. The water in the principal spring has a temperature of 111' F. in MCCONNELL.J VERMILION LAKE. 11 D -ummcr, but is said to rise to 119° in winter. Tiie lower temperature in summer may be caused by tlie wutci' being atleetod to some extent by the surface ilrainage, wbicli is more active at that seiison. It lias a regular flow, and is forced up in largo quantities through an aperture several inches in diameter. It is highly charged with minei-al matter, ;ind has deposited thick beds of calcareous tufa in the vicinity. A numbei- of other springs occur (dose by, amongj which maybe iiuntioned one which rises and forms a small shallow pool in the bottom (if a cave. The cave is about thirty feet deep, and is reached by an open- ing in the roof. The water I'ises through quicksands, and its ascending force is Just about suflicient to prevent a man from sinking through the yielding floor. It escajjes through an opening in the side of the cave, ami issuing shortly after from a bill-side, is collected into a second pool, which, on account of its moderate temperature, has become a favorite resoi-t for l.ialhers. The springs are closely connected with a great fa\dt which I'uns along the eastern base of Terrace Mountain, with a displacement of over 5000 feet. There is no evidence of either recent oi* ancient volcanic activity in the neighborhood, and the warm condition of the water is undoubtedly dependent on the depth from which it is derived. West of Terrace Mountain and the Vermilion Lake range, and sepa- rated from these by deep valleys, is the Sawback IJange, the western- most of the great series of tilted limestone ridges which constitute the dominant scenic feature in the eastern part of the chain. It is between two and three miles wide, and is composed of about 11,000 feet of strata, dip])ing at angles of (j5° and over, and varying in hardness from (juartz- ite and crystalline limestone down to soft shale. Every degree of relative hardness is now distinctly marked by the nne(|ual denuda- tion which ditferent beds have undergone. The softer bands have sunk into deep, irregular furrows, while the more resisting beds thrust them- selves up in long lines of sharp-pointed peaks. The ma>dve beds of the Lower Jianfl' limestone are especially noticable in this connection, and foi'ui the most persistent line of peaks in the range. At the western edge of the valley separating the \'erniilion Lake range from the Sawback liange, but standing somewhat apart from the latter, is a remarkable looking group of peaks, built of ujudght beds and termina- 'ing ill thin wedge-like summits. They are arranged in a line parallel with the main range, and the sharp outline of the most southerly member of the group forms a striking object viewed from the Bow Valley. The Hole-in-tbe-wall is a name given to a cavity in the steeply sloping beds which form the western face of the Sawback Eange. It is about 1500 feet above the surface of the valley, and was reported to be spruiK in bottom of cave. .Springs con- iiL'cteu with fault. Sawbacli KaiiKO. Etfcct (if donudntion. Itemarkable i(iol?« :i (J ' '1 12 D THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. Direction of the Bow Lake?, inaccessible, but no difficulty was exjierionced in scaling the steep, rocky slope leading up to it. It is, however, hardly worth the trouble of the climb, as walls and roof are bare and no stalactites or other objects of interest are to be seen. This cave has a roughly circular aperture, estimated to be about sixty feet in diameter, but going back the floor rises rapidly, and cuts oft' further progress at a distance of about 1.30 feet. It has probably been excavated by waters, descending between the ulniost vertical limestone beds, making an exit here. The continuation of the Sawback llange south of the Bow was not examined. After breaking through the Sawback Eange, the Bow Valley bends again to the north-west, and then runs almost straight to its source in the Bow Lukes. Its course is at tinst somewhat oblique to the general strike of the ranges, but afterwards becomes coincident with it, in con- sequence of a change in the dirt'Ction of the latter. The Sawback Eange is bounded on the west Ijy a deep valley leading from the Bow to tiie Red Deer, and, like most of the longer longitudinal valleys, followed in different parts of its course by a i^.umber of diffor- Johnson Creek, ent streams. Near the Bow it is occupied by Johnson Crook, a swift, rocky, mountain stream, about seventy-five feet wide near its mouth, and having a total length of about sixteen miles. The entrance to the valley is blocked by a high ridge, crossing it in a diagonal direction from Castle Mountain to the Sawback Range, through which Johnson Creek has cut a deep, narrow passage to the Bow. Beyond this ridge tlu' valley opens out, and is generally wooded for some miles, though show- ing small prairie patches near the stream. Ap])roaching the summit, the trees gradually thin out and finally disappear near the base of the last steep ascent, and the surface becomes covered with gi-ass and low- shrubs. The ap])oarance of this pait of tlic valley in early summer is singularly beautiful, and is sui-passed by few i)laces in the mountains. Its green and partly wooded floor is bounded on the west by the mas- sive face of Castle Mountain, which here rises in sheer clifis, broken at intervals by ledges and cirques, sup[)orting thick fields of ice, anil contrasts strangely with the aerial peaks of the Sawback Ran<:i which look down into the valley from the east. The efi'ect of the pic- ture on the observer is also strengthened by the frequent sound of fall- ing avalanches echoing along the valley. On the farther side of the summit a i-apid descent is made along a branch of Baker Creek. A few miles further on, this is joined by a stream coming in the opposite direction, and the two, after uniting, bend to the south and force a passage through the Castle Mountain range. Castle Moun- Castle Mountain rr.nge is built of nearly horizontal limestones, and is tain Kange. " •' Beauty of valley. Baker Creek. MCCONNEIL.] CASTLE MOUNTAIN RANGE. 13 d a olitf-bordered, oblong block, between two and three miles wide and about thirteen miles long. Its narrow ends are further split by deep vailey«, of which the eastern one holds a couple of small lakes. The massif of this range, viewed from the Bow, is particularly imposing, owing to the long, wall like, unbroken front which it presents in that direction. It rises to a height of 4500 feet above the Bow. Pilot Mountain, south of the Bow, is situated in the strike of Castle Pilot Mountain Mountain range, and has a height cf 5000 feet above the valle3^ It culminates in a narrow, flat summit, about half a mile long, and forms the end of a rugged range extending from Healy's Crock to Red Earth Creek. It supports a small glacier on its northern slope, the first of any size met with in ascending the pass. Tlie watershed range, across the Bow from Castle Mountain, is less Watershed regular, and its front has been dissected by numerous glacier-fed "'"•'*'• >trearas into short transverse ridges. The higher limestone peaks are hero situated some distance back in the range, and are flanked by luwer ([uartzite elevations. To this range belong the loftiest peaks seen along the pass, amongst them being Mt. Lefroy, which carries its snow-clad summit up to a height of 11,G58 feet, and a host of others, little if at all inferior. The valleys between the transverse ridges, leforred to above, are Vaiiesf? usually occupied for some distance from their summits by glaciers, and Kkciera'and oltcn enclose small but beautifully cleai- lakes. Emerald lialce, one of " "^^^ the most accessible of these, is situated about two miles west of Lag- l;uii. It is about a mile long and half a mile wide, and is closely hcmmetl in on both sides by steep quartzite cliffs. It is fed by a small stream, which issues about a mile farther up the valley from the front of a glacier. A few miles beyond Laggan the railway leaves the Bow and follows Transverse a wide valle}^ which here leads through the watershed range, and" connects the eastern and western drainage systems. This vallej'' is t'olldwed in its eastern part by Nooro's ('reek, flowing into the Bow, and in its western part by the Wapta (Kicking Horse) Hiver, a tri- liutary of the Columbia. The Wapta River tinds its immediate source in a lake of the same Wapta River, uame, but is joined and largely increased, a short (iistance from its ori- gin, by two streams issuing from the glaciers of the Waputtehk Moun- tains. Itsdescent isattirst headlong, and in less than tive miles it falls aver 1100 feet. Beyond this it becomes, for some miles, less rapid, and flows by several winding channels through a wide gravelly bottom. A mile and a half below Field its bed contracts again, and for some die- tunce the stream is constantly interrupted by falls and rapids. A num- ber of short canons occur in this part of its course, and in one place the valley. f i ■ I -'I W\:\m^ m Natural bridge, Leogth of the Wapta. Ridges on western slope of mountains. Snow-fields. Otter-tail Range. Mount Hunter. Beavcr-foot Range. Elevations of stations. 14 D THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. river i8 spanned by a natural bridge. In the next few miles it is joined by a couple of large tributaries from the north, and also by the Otter- tail Creek from the south, and becomes swollen to a full-sized river. Farther down it is joined by the Beaver-foot, and then, after falling over a precipice about forty feet high, it bonds sharply to the north- west, and cuts a channel obliquely through the Beaver-foot Eange to the Columbia. The length of the Wapta, between Wapta Lake and the Columbia, is a little over forty mileSj and in this distance it has a fall of 2650 feet. The western slope of the Rocky Mountains, like the eastern, is charac- terized by a system of longitudinal and approximatel}' parallel ridges. The ridges here, however, are mostly formed of bods either lying flat or dipping at low angles, and as a consequence are usually broader, and are also separated by wider intervals than is the case to the east. The Bow or watershed range has been already roferi'ed to in oonnectiun with a previous description. It is built of heavily-bedded limestone, and has been carved by a complex drainage system into a series of high, massive-looking mountains, of which Mount Stephen forms a good example. The central parts of this range are covered throughout the year by extensive snow-fields which send tongues of ice down all the principal valleys. West of the Bow Eange is the wide valley of the Otter-tail, and across this the Otter-tail Range. i-The latter is crowned by a number of high, impressive-looking peaks, some of which rise over 6000 feet above the valley. It is continued north-west across the Wapta by Mount Hunter and the Van Home Mountains. Mount Hunter is termin- ated by a narrow, deeply-notched edge, and i-eseniljles the ranges in the eastern part of the chain in being formed of liightly tilted lime- stone beds. The line of ranges just mentioned is bounded on the west by a long, straight valley, followed in the upj)er part by the Beaver- foot River, and farther down by the Wapta, and west of this comes tlie Beaver-foot Ear ' most westerly range of the chain. The Beaver- foot Eange has ' ,oal width of above five miles, but slopes upwards into a single zigzag line of sharp limestone peaks. The higher sum- mits of this i-ange exceed 5000 feet in height. KlevatioE i of the stations along the Canadian Pacific Railway, in the Rocky Mo' ntains : The Gap 4198 Canmore 4 '.'o^ Duthil 4842 Bantt' 4531 Silver Citv 4024 Eklon 4782 Laggan 5005 Stephen 529G MccoNNEii.] DESCRIPTION OP FORMATIONS. 15 D Hector 5177 Field 4026 Ottertail 3064 Ix-anchoil '3557 I'alliser 3250 Goklon City '-'539 DKSCBIPTION OP FORMATIONS. The various formations occurring along the Bow and Wapta Valleys, have been divided, chiefly on lithological grounds, into seven groups, ami as none of tliese can be correlated exactly witli those found in the sdiUhern part of the range, as described in the various United- States reports, it has been found necessary to introduce some new terms. The following table exhibits the scheme adopted, as well as the eijuivalents in the ordinary classification, so far as the fossil evi- dence at hand admits : u a Clu-^Jsiflcation of formations. i^ Cretaceous J Kootiiiiio (Jroup to Hentoii S5 I S Dark .shales, with some .sandstone.*, I i|uart/.itus and conglomerates. .Carlioniferous pa8.s- ins: downwards into Devonian T,>„nr lUntr oh.ilos '> RedJish-weathcrinK anil usually cal- jpper liantr shales '^ carcous shales, and quartzites. T'nnfir Ranfflimastone \ Moderately crystalline, greyi.sh lime- l pper Kann limesiom, j ,j,„jg ^^^■^^^^ ^^^^^.^^ ,^,|j crinoidal. \ Ilalysites beds j Greyish dolomites and ciuartz.ites Lower Banff shales | '^"''Iftoiaf '''"'*'' ""'' '*'"''' "'°^' Lower BantT limestone '. Blui.sh compact limestone. Intermediate limestone. Brownish, irregularly hardened dolo- mites, and greyish, crystalline dolomites, with some .sandstones I andquartzitcs. I Qraptolitio shales \ Dark fissile shales. Upper part of Castle Moun- J Mostly shaly limestones, and ealcare- tain (rroup < oiis dolomitic argillites. Ixiwer nart of f!ft=»le Moiin- ^ Massive dolomites with some shaly t„^ tJnnl, Moun-1 limestone, the latter sometimes cam », roup ^ .schistose. ( Argillites, usually dark-coloured but Bow River group < sometimes greenish and purplish, I- ( with quartzites and conglom'tes. f '^ KE '#l|| V If „,j ^t m 16 D THE KOOKY MOUNTAINS. The Cretaceous. Cretaceous. Transverse ridges. Onl^ middle rxirtion fif loriniitiun seen. Rocks in lower piirt of series. Conglomerate in upper part. Tlio Cretaceous is ossentially a clastic formation, and contains beds ranging through every degree of coarseness, from tine-grained ti.ssilc shales to heavy conglomci-ates. The most favoralde localities for examining it are found in that portion of the Cascade trough extending from the Bow to the Kananaskis. Here, the westei'n part of the valley is ci-ossed trans- versely by a series of short ridges, the summits and steep eastern slopes of which are almost bare, and show connected sections several thou- sand feet in extent. Only the middle portion of the formation is, how- ever, seen in these sections, as the lower beds are faulted otf on tho western side of the trough, and are concealed, and probably faulted al.so, on the eastern side, while the upper beds have been removed by denudu- tion. The beds remaining do not measure over 5000 feet at tlic most. The lower part of the series consists mainly of beds and baiuLs of flaggy sandstone, alternating with dark shales. The shales are usually somewhat arenaceous, and j)ass gradually, by the addition of moi'o sandy material, into pui-c sandstone. They arc also occasionally car- bonaceous, and in a number of places enclose coal-seams, some of which are woi-kable. The sandstone occurs, characteristically, in some- what thick beds, and is usually coarse-grained and soft, but harder quartx- itic beds are not altogether absent. It weathers to a dull red colour. The bands of sandstone are little persistent, and if traced along their strike for any distance are found to break up into subordinate beds, separated by thin shaly partings, oi- to pass altogether into shales. The upper part of the section contains some conglomerate, in addition to the shales and sandstone. This occurs in massive beds, measuiing up to 150 feet in thickness, and is composed of rounded siliceous pebbles, with some shaly and calcareous grains, imbedded i i a hard siliceous matrix. The pebbles arc usually small, seldom exceeding an inch in diameter, and the rock passes insensibly into sandstone. The seeilon here is more arenaceous than is usually the case, and there is reason to believe that it occupies a comparatively high position in the series, and that the lower part contains a greater jjroportion of shales. The Cas- cade Eiver section, a few miles further north, which is undoubtedly lower, shows no conglomerate, and the sandstones are also of less importance, and in nearly every case where beds of Cretaceous age overlie the Banff limestone in an undisturbed condition, showing tliat the base of the formation is present, they consist almost entirely of dark shales. ■:-■ :d McCONNEll.] BANFF LIMESTONE. 17 D In addition t^ the Cretaceous of the Cascade trough, outliers of this Cretaceous age occur in a numher <>f places along the eastern side of the two prin- "" cipal faults traversing the Fairholme and Palliser ranges, and are often found occupying the summits of the longitudinal passes, the lower parts 'if the valley having been worn down to the lower heds by denuda- tion. These outliers are all small, and the beds exposed consist of ii few hundred feet of black shale, passing downwards into quartzites. No (*rotaceou8 has been found west of the Cascade basin. The resem- No Cretaocous . west of I aaoade Mance. however, between it and the upper shales ot the Banti' Series, Basin, which underlie them, is so close that it becomes impossible in many ]>]iice8 to separate them without fossil evidence, and it is ])08sible that the upper y.ivts of some of the shaly bands which have been referred '.o the latter may be of this age. The following fossils were collected near the base of a small Creta- Pos-xiis in (eouis outlier situated three miles north of the east end of Devil's Liike : — Oxytoma mucronata, Trigonia intermedia, Trigononrca tumida; nil thi'ee characteristic of the Queen Charlotte Island series, and Hpecies of Terebratula, Ostren, Camptonectes, Lima, Cyprina, Ammon- ites and Belemnites. A small collection, obtained from the shales faulted under the Cam- brian limefstones at the gap of the south fork of Ghost River, includes amongst othei-s, such Benton species as Scaphites omtricoms, and ])oeBibly s into ([uartzite.-*, and rice versa. These shales ai'e often calcareou.s or dolomitic, and in places are repre- sented by an iin|)iaT limestone, and they always contain sutticient inn togivethema reddish color when weathered. They ai-e found on tin- western slopes of most of the range.'* in the eastern part of the chain, ana also in the bottoms of moat of the longitudinal valleys of the same dis trict, as from their relative .softness they are one of the valiey- niaking formations of this part of the range, an ottice which they till in common with the Cretaceous shales. The Upper Hanti shale- are underlain by about 3000 feet of limestone, which may be called the Upper Banff limestone, in order to distinguish it from the lower limestones of the same series. This usually occurs as a greyish ])ureiy calcareous and well crystallized rock, but is also found under a number of other forms. It is often dolomitic, and hai-d, bluish, compact beds are not uncommon, nor are shales and sandstones altogether absent. It- most characteristic features, however, are the abundance of crinoida: remains which it everywhere shows, (some (jf the Ijeds being wholly composed of the broken stems of Criuoids,) and the cherty concretiou^j which are distributed through it, either iri'egularly oi- arranged in lino- along the bedding. These concretions are especially abundant in Pilot Mountain and along the western side of the Sawback Range, and in both these places are often united into thin, irregular beds. They uU" become more numerous towards the top of the limestone, and are ccca- sionally continued on into the shales. Belowthe.se limestones come from 500 to 700 feet of shales and shaly limestone, constituting the Lower Banff shales. The shales are dark colored, but usually weather red, and are somewhat arenaceous, and pas-* into flaggy sandstone. They are also nearly always calcareous, anii in ])lace.s the series is represented altogether by impure, shaly limestone'-. At a point about two miles up a small creek, which Joins the Bow from the north a short distance above the Bow River gaj), this group i- uuderlain by from fifteen to twenty feet of coal-black fissile shale-, which rest directly on the massive limestone beds of the underlying formation, and are intei'esting on account of their fossiliferous charac- ter. A number of specimens of nClynienia, besides other fossils, wei'O collected here. At one point these black shales bend around a large and well-rounded limestone boulder, belonging apparently to the Castle Mountain group, and looking exactly like an eraticof the glacial drift. 1 1 UCCONNlll.] BANFF LIMESTONES. lit I) The lowest division ot' tlie liimff liraeHtone coiittists of from (iOO to 800 feet of heavily-bedded lilninh and fairly compact limestone. ^^ i^nwcT hants (•niiipositioii it is mostly calcareous, Initit also contains a certain amount''™"""'"^- .>f(lolomitic matter distrihuti'd in an irregular manner through the beds, iiiul evidently collected together by concretionary action. The dolomite iw liot visible on a fresh fracture, but, owing to its superior durability, it pro- jects from weathcrc<'"Ii< upppni" of Alieiiddy Hay, South Wali'«. (fSce (^uart. Jouni. Cleol. Society, 1^75, plate ;{'), ti^s. la lit.) {h) Family Gi.oshoohai tih.k. (2) Gloisxoijraptus cilintiis, Kmmous. (;i) " sj>lnul(jii}ii<, Hail sp. (c) Family I)iplo(1Hai'TII».v;. (4) CnjptO(/rn/itus triconiis. Can', sp. (=(\ >ii((rcioiTie beds of partially metamorphosed shale, live miles north of Bel- iniiris. Nevada. No fossils were found associated with them that luiirht assist in the determination of their exact age, and they were jirovisionally referred to the geological date of the Utica slate of New Vork State. •'These graptolites from the Kicking Horse (Wapta) Pass under notice iiuiy also be referred to the age of the I'tica slate, or at any rate to the Ticnton-Utica fauna of the I'nited Slates and Canada. The association t't forms is just such as occurs in the Llandeilo (lower and middle) of Britain, and some of the forms are common to both sides of the Atlan- tic. The geological range and geographical localities of the forms enumerated above are shown in the table on the following page. " It is curious that none of the family of the Diornuograptidaj (Di- crunofjruptus and Dicellotjraptus) are represented in this little collection- It is just possible that it may, therefore, be somewhat older than the \ li:': a: ■■'Hi t . 'l: il-'. , (1 V. } '/ J » 1 I I 24 D TlIF, ROCKY MOUNTAINS. typical Norman's Kill body, whoiv tlie Dioranograptidto are exceed" ingl}' abundant. Neither have we any of the peculiar genera of the Leptograjttidii' (Co'nograptus and Leptm/rajitus, etc.) so prevalent in the Norman's Kill horizon everywhere. Thus it is by no means unlikt-iy, Judging t'i'om the evidence at present at our disposal, thai the fauna of the shales of the Kicking Horse (Wa])ta) Pass come fron\ strata answering broadly to the British Lower Llandeilo. They are dis- tinctly newer than tlic Point Levis beds, and belong to the second Ordovician fauna, liut in all probaliility to the oldest zones of that fauna. " Table showing distribution (geographical) of thegraptolitic species of the Kicking Uorso (Wapla) Pass, B. C." America, i Uritaix. 1 Dill.vIno^r|-a|ltll^: I'linilus, Lnjumrtli . . 2 (jllu.-^.'^ii(rnii)(ii.- ciliiitiis, EuDiiimx . .,, 3 " spiimlosiis, Hull 4 CrypfoKriiptu? tricnrnis, Cni-riiiln'i-K. 5 Uipliifjrii|itu.- iiiitiiistifdlius, //ie of the formation at Emerald Lake, has a peculiar cavernous structure. The cavities ai'e small, are partly refilled, and run in lines parallel with the bedding. A large proportion of the rocks of the Castle Mountain group, con- -i>t o;' mixtures, in various proportions, of dolomites and limestones. The ribanded limestones, fouml in the ranu'es west of the summit, are P'^'anded ■- ' limestone. of this character, and are often I'egularly iind beautifully stri})ed with tlitterent colours. In some instances, where this rock is much weathered, the dolomitic layers project, as yellowish ribs, almve the i^reyish calcareous bands. In the calcareous variety occuring at the gap of the Bow, and along ihe eastern part of the Devil's Lake valley, the dolomitic and 'ithei' impurites, have segregated togethci', and are arranged in irregu- lar lii'oken lines, parallel with the bedding. Ill the Wapta Valley, west of Field, the limestones and dolo- Limestones mite- are associated with a great series of greenish calc-schists, andllri'uutteL "' ,^'i'eeiii.sh and rechlisb shales and slates. These schistose rocks often shdwgi'cen. glossy surfaces, but are never veiy highly altered, and hold lew secondary minerals. They are usually soft, are highly cal- •uieous. ;md are traversed bj^ u set of cleavage planes, dipping ;it a high angle and running parallel to the general direction of the chain. A !-ec()- d sot of (deavage ])lanes, striking nearly tit right angles to the*^''-'"^'"*"" 'ii'st, is developed in some localities, but is of less importance. g f \ f '4 ,& 20 D THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. The greenish variety comes to the surface in the bottoms of the wide Inriyitiulinal valleys of the Otter-tail and Beaver-fdot, and is replaced 'n the nei;ihbouring ri n .'<» ' 'U i t I' i it ! ) ^ ,,\in I >. 28 D THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. Description of oolite. Bciis (ioloinilie below iitid calciireous above. Sootion in Ciustle.Moun- tiiiii. Schistose beds at summit of Johnson Crook. " A sort of oolite, consisting of small, globular concretions of a bliiisli- black colour, imbedded in a dull, yoUowi.sh ground-mass. The concre- tions are al)0ut one millimetre in diameter, and form about balf the volume of the rock. When a sectii)nof the rock is examined under the microscope, each concretion is seen to be composed of numerous elongated individuals of calcite, radiating fioni its centre to its cir- cumference. Each concretion thus forms a well defined spherulitei which, between crossed nicbols, shows a more or less perfect black cross, whose arms are ])arallel to the vibration planes of the nichols. They show no coricentric structure, but are well defined against the ground- mass, which is very fine-grained and contains much argillaceous matter. By transmitted light the concretions ai'c of a very light brownish coloui'. When separated from the groimd-mass and treated with cold, dilute hydrochloric acid, they disolve readily, leaving some flocculent (argillaceous ?) matter, to which their light brownish colour, by trans- mitted light, is probably due. The acid solution is tound to contain much lime, and a small ([uantity of magnesia, but no ferric oxide. Thv rock itself, even in fragments, dissolves readily in cold, dilute, hydro- chloric acid, but leaves a large amount of insoluble, ajiparcntly argilla- ceous, mattei'. The acid solution contains much lime, with a smaller amount of magnesia and a little alumina and ferric oxide, showing that the rock is an impure magnesious limestone." The sequence and relative importance of the vtirious members of this ^^roup, differ widely in every section, but as a rule, the beds are more dolomitic and more heavily- bedded below, and become more shaly and calcareous above. In the Castle Mountain section, theserio- commences with a thin band of shaly, limestone, above which comes 1500 feet of massive dolomites, forming the steep clitf f:ue of the range. The massive dolomites are overlaid by some yellowLsli, compact impure dolomites, and theso by 300 feet of reddish shalcN above which comes several hundred feet of shaly, magnesian lime- stones, forming the top of the mountain. Mount Stephen show- a section of about 5000 feet, consisting mainly of heavy dolomites, Imt holding shaly bands at intervals. One of theso, occurring at the ha-e of the tbrmation, and anothei- aljout 2000 feet higher up, are rich in trilobites. In the Sawback Range, the luise of the formation is faulted off, but the ])art present shows several thousand feet of heavy lime- stones, mainly dolomitic^ interstratified with some shaly bands, .'md passing upwards into more flaggy beds. At the summit of Johnson Creek, the upper part of this section contains some schistose beds closely resembling those of the Otter-tail Valley. At the gap of the Bow, and of Devil's Lake valley, the Itase is again faulted off, and the limestones and dolomites in sight represent the upper part of the ^■u Pii? Mi' Since the paragi-iiph on tlio "Fossils" of the Castle Mountain (ii'ou|i was written, tive now species of trilobites from the " Primordial " rooks of Mount Stephen have been described by Dr. Carl Eomiiii^er, in tlie Pi'ocoodin.i^s of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Pliiludc]])]iia. Ol' those, Oi/i/(jia Klutzl, 0. sirrata, EinboUinus splnosa ami E. rotun- data arc represented in the collection made by Mr. McConnell at Mount Stephen, near Field. V CONNELl.] nnW RIVE It mKIIIES. 20 I) l^i-matioii. At tlio formci' lucality. tlic linicstonos aiv iiHwociutod in 1)110 place with M)iue schistose heil>. In tiie IJeavor-foot I'ange, the highest bods of the sorios occur, and coiisist of impure shulos and siial y limestone, passing downwards into more altered beds. The exact ]ii)-itii)n in the M-ries of tlie schists, slmlos, and limestones of the Van lioriieand Hunter ranges. ha> not Ik-cii determineil. Tlieyare unfoHsil- t'ei'OU.'<, and are separated from known lioi'izonN by s> \vhitli it is impOHsible to trace indivitlual bods or even a series of lied-. The IiimU of the Castle Mountain group are tuund at the gap of llie |)i,|rjii|),i„„ „f ]l>w, where they tbrm the outer range, overlooking the plains, and J.j-'JJ'i^'roup!"" extend from there, in a gradually widening band, north to tiie Devil's LmI^o valley and beyond. They are next mot with, going west, in the "^awback rangp. and still further on in the Castle Mountain range. Alter crossing the How Eiver anticlinal, which brings up lower rocks, llioy are again met with in the watershed range, and then cover all the surface as fai- as the Columbia, with the exception of the central piirt of the Beaver-foot i'ange, and a small area in the valley of the \V;t]ifii, between Wapta Lake and Field. The Castle Mountain group extends from the Cambrian up into the (';unl)ro-Silurian. and seems to have a|)proximately the same range as the i-*ogonip limestone of (Tai'ence King's Miildlc Nevada section. A hasty examination of some of the fossils obtained from it enabled Ml. Whiteave-^ to recognize species behmging to three distinct hori- I'os.^iis. xiiiis. Such Lower Cambrian forms as Paradoxides. t^c., were found iieai' its base, and about 2000 feet higher up such Middle Cambrian ijouera :is Olenoldes and Doropyge. with two species of Bathyonrus, while llir upper beds yielded ^iaphisfoina rotiiUformh and an Asaphus, ami are. therefore, ]u'obably (Jamlu'o-Sibirian (Ordorician). '] Bow Ricer S';rie.-<. ^ " '-''"'^r ^•■'•ouo tbrms the basal member of the section in this jiuri oi inc mcniiitains, and, as developed along the line of railway, con- ',^"1,!^'^*'^ "i>ts mainly of a great series of dark-coloured argillites, associated with "ome sandstones, ([uartzites and conglomerates. The base is not seen, but the j)art exposed has an estimatoil thickness of 10,000 feet. Thickness. Tiie argillites are usually dark-greyish in colour, but become green- ish and purplish in places, are very impuie, and freijuently grade into ArgiUiie.s. tlugiiiy sandstones, which are often slightly calcareous. The small quantity of lime present is due doubtless, in most cases to a decom- |»iwitioii of tiie felspathic constituents of the rock. They are hardened aiul oira>ionally cleaved, and scale- of mica are often developed along l-k h'i 30 D THE nO( KT MOl-NTAINS. WCONNEIL.] Quartzitct. (livit*ional plain'.-, lnit . 15(1 n) : — "The con^lomeratDs above ailiided to were seen I'or the most part in eonnection with the Cambrian iiiitielinal of the u]iper part of the I'ow Valley. They ai-e eharaetoi'- Jzed by peiiblcs of milky or Sfnii-transparont i|iiarlz, togelher with pieres similar in size of fresli-looldni,'. whitish I'elspar, and the matrix contains abnmlanee of pale miea. These eonslitiients have evidently been derived from some not far distant exposures of eoarse ij^ranitic oi- gneissie roek. Fra, which have been referred to theCa.-tle Mountain group, may belong to this series. Fossils. The onl}- fossils obtained from this foi'mation were collected by Dr. (i. M. Dawson at the summit of the Vermilion I'ass in 1884. and con- sist of a couple of trilobitic impressions, one of which has been identi- tied \tic Miildle Cambrian fossil. Ilislrlbiitiii K(.w Kivor ertup. The Roi are divit. The Moiis came action, as ,> paniod byi i> now ai)o "I'iginal wi I't'c. unpres llie i.'uui'.sos iiiiiioi' imp( llie districi I'fii'ling. ' I'uiiiiing le unlike thos '■■ectioi lirst Cretac ^'"'icrlaid h 'i-^nally f,,ri: I't-'aks. Thd i'l'lnw l)y ih iiiroiigh iiih ''''!iruviuco». ;ii 1' ilivjiifd l)y radical ditt'erences in structure into two distinct goolo- niiiil pi'Ovincos, tlio line of division being nearly coincident with tlio WL'slei-n Ijase of the Sawhaclc rani^e. Tlve region east of tliis line lias ln'cn l)roken by a number of parallel or nearly jjarallel longitudinal frill tiu'os into a series of oblong or(jgraj)luc blocks, and these tilted and Fmiti. -hovivl one ovei' the other into the forin of a westerly-dipping com- liiiund monocline. In the section examined there are seven princi[)al faults, besides some ol' minor importance, and six well-detined blocks, the lattei- resting on one another in regular succession from we.st t(» oii-t. The thrust producing these crust movements and disloca-nl^rwiX"^"'" tions came from the wot, anf (oiupressiou it has suttered. Ovei'turned folds were observed along tlie (.•(itirses of some of the faults, but thev are usually small, and are of ''^;'''''"f"'''^ miuoi' importance as a structural feature, and the great earth rents of the ilistrict seem to have iieen produced without much ])reliniinary I'l'iiling. The tilted blocks form a series of metre or less parallel ridges P"":'""' ""'Jaes. lunniiig lengthwise witli the chain, but the intervening depressions, luilike those of the Gi'eat Basin, where the structure is somewhat simi- lar, ;ire true valleys of erosion, and although their direction is deter- e;'i4?m. " iuiiu'l by the course of the fault, are due to the une(|ual hai'dness I'f till' fbi'Tuations. In one of these valleys the fault is invariably f'lUinl along the base of the clitf like part of the ridge bounding ii (HI ilie west — the clitf being formed hv the truncated edi;es of :i!u' I ir more of the older formations. — while the greater pari of the iulley is dug out of the inclined ('arboiiiferous or (Jretaceous shale> which always cover the western slopes of the ridges, and mark the k'ii'iiuiing of a repetition of the format ion>. A section through a tj'pical ridge, starting from the west, show- Tyuicul-'ectim. li'.'si Cretaceous shales faulted under one of the older formations, and "ii'U'ilaid by the Banff shales and limestones. The Bautf limestones isually form the central portion of the ridge, and rise into the higher !"';iks. They are underlain by the Intermediate limestone, followed i'olow by the beds of the Castle ^Nfountain group. The lattei- is broken ihnmgh and faulted up over the Cretaceous shales, and the same suc- cession is again repeated. ; ■ :.U n^ m ■■ m^■■ i ; 1 t Mi 32 T) THE R(H'KY MorNTAlNS. Type of structure ("iinilar struct lire in Ai'piilai'liiiu roBioii, Varying thnuvs Tho fiiiilts Iiavo, liowcver, Viti'vinir tlii'ows. iiiid all tlio hedn iVoin tin- Uppci' IJantl' wlialos to tlio CaKtle Mountain tfi'ou]) imlufivcly, aro lii'ouglit ill ditlfreiit piaccsi in contact wiLii liie Cretaccnu;, hlialcr', which hove form the top ol the series. The type of mountain structiu'edej^frihed ahovc is somewhat unu>Uiil. and has not, ho fur hh t am aware, hcen noticed aH a jji'ominent featuit; in any of tiie repoi'ts treating; ot' tiie disturheil licit of the we>lt'rn jiart of the continent. The Basin range Btructurc, which produces a similar syHtem of parallel ridges, is caused by normal taulting, and tlip intervening valleys arc not due to erosion hut to a sinking of the hcils on tho downthrow bide of the tiiult. In the southern extenstou of the A)(palachian I'cgion. however, tho valley of East Tcnnestsee proonts an almost identieal structure, atul ProfoH.sor .J. AI. .Sartbrd's interesting section across this valloy might almost lie taken for an illustration of tho structure of this jmrtor the Jlocky Mountains. The clo^e parallelism between the structure- of the two I'egions maybe seen by comparing the following descriptioa with what has been written; — "The length of the section is tit'ty-two miles. Eight great faults are crossed. It is to be (jbserved that no great flexures occur. This is the most crowded part of the valley. Tlie incipient folds were split o])en longitudimdly. and the south-east- ern side of each iieaved up and over the north-western. The oldei' formation is on the south-eastern side of a fault. In passing from nno fault in a south-easterly direction to another, the successive formations are met with in ascending order, until the second fault is reaclicii; passing this, an oldci' f<»rmatioii occurs again, to be followed, a- before, by newer ones. The formations are thus arranged by the i'aults into successive series, the series being much alike, in fsict, In a great extent, repetitions of the same thing. In the section there .ire eight of these series between Waldcn's iiidge and ('hilhowoe Mountain."* The recent investigations in the Scotch Highlands have also shown that the beds there are tiffected by a simihir system of faulting. t In the western part of the cliain. between the Sawback range and the Columbia, the structure is entirely' changed ; no reversed faults have yet been recognized there, and ordinary and overtuined folds play the most im))ortant role. The greater |iart of this district has al»i> been subjected to regional metamoi'phism, anil all the beds, exi'cpt the purer limestones, are in a more or less altered condition. The constituent formations of the two regions, as well as ihe structure, are very dissimilar, and some of the Ibrmations, when trared westwards, become greatly changeil. S'tnieturc of wtS'tiTii purt • ■i cbiiiii different. • Ocology of Tennessee, pagelW. t Nature, vol. .xxxi,, page 29. /■;./,s7 llolloiii dl' Viilln SEA LEVEL 'i(Uif/i ;tion D.C The BurinnU Lithographic Comparijf Montreal M,,'.f! ;;■* ■f /K 'a' 1^ II. 'V/ SEA LEV£l V S (•,// r 5 3^ > li.iHiiiuiiiiiiniui Vim linn/, M'"" ■■'•v. Ollcrliii/ \'iilli\ " •• :^w ' ^^.V^W/^ : Iti/K'l / i'm,h li, Vcrlicnl iiiid //on/.oiil,/! sV./Zr.v 2" \//7('.s' la I inch . SECTION ACROSS THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS IN THE VICINITY OF THE CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY, Near the FiFt^- First Parallel^ av 1 R.G M^ CONNELL.El.A. 'I'o lui'oiii/xinv liijuirlS I) . VolumeII Omiluuiralimii'XiUural ALPKIO RCSELWYN CmI (hlhnlnil M"' Ullrrhul Val/rv ^^'^-J?^ ''. / /llpl'll /'Ill/I I',, liiiw llil rr \ii/li'V FORMATIONS REPRESENTED IN THE SECTIONS TO THE WEST OF THE CASTLE MOUNTAIN RANGE. Siliiriaii \ i'liiiihi-n-iSiliiriiiii Citinhnnn CIFIC RAILWAY, 5 '^ (ittnhriitil lldlv.silis hilts (irit/>l"lilir .s-//t//(S llow lii\i'r (iroii/t lliiw Hnrr \(ill(V li('^y liiyif Vdlli-y Section oj i felling ^imm^ itf (iumiiia. I'GLLD, FRS.ac.DIRKCTOR r§ I" /idii/dif'f Vdlln SECTION A.B. FORMATIC TO THE E N. ./••" A Cfisrof/r Troiinh Section K Crvlii Cost 1 1' M'." lUiiuic SECTION NI.L. .S'nubad- Hd/if/r m LJ^^-/-J—L.J—L,J^i Cdsctttlr 'I'roaqli SECTION H l)(no/io-(hrh<)nil ' iisTddc I roiu/li Section G 1 liotloiu e, the Intermediate limestone of Devonian age, and part (ifthoOaslle ^[oiintain grouj) of Middle and Lower Cambrian ajj-e, meiiMiriiig altogether ahout 18,000 feet. The whole series, notwith. stiinding tlio gajjs in the sequence, is conforniahle throughout. The t'astle Mountain group, in its occurrence along the oabtorn edge of ihc nioimtains, contains no heds newei' than the t'ainhrian, and is overlain diiectlv by the Devonian, Itut in its western extension appeal's to pass up gi-adiuilly into the ('amliro-Silurian. In the wcstci'M iirovince tlie Cretaceous shales, the Bantt' Formations liiiii.'stone and the Intermediate Limestone are wanting, and thei'iminoo. iijii-liost beds belong to the Silurian — a tbi-malion unknown in the ciistern district. The Silurian or Halysites beds are followed conform- alijv, in descending order, iiy the gi'aptolitic shales of Utira-Trcuiton ;iuo. the Castle Mountain group, and the How ilivor grouj) of Middle ;mil Lower Cambrian age. TJie section here has a thickness of 2.'i.0(H) feet, the greater part of which is Cambrian. The dominant structural features of the eastern district, as stated '*""'"*"'■ ' !i! It ires. Iiofore, are due to a series of gigantic thrust faults, which have carried tlio older foiiiiatioiis forward, and placed them in a number of j)laees ;ilK)ve ihr highest beds of the series. One of tiie largest and most iiiipdrtant of tbesi^ occurs along the eastei-n base of the chain, and brings the Cambrian limestones of the Castle Mountain group over thef^reai fiultat l);i>e (i! riinno. Creiaconus of the foot-bills. This fault has a vertical di.splacoment of imnv than l.'),000 feet, ami an estimateci horizontal displacement of till' Cambrian beds ot about seven miles in an easterly section. The actually olistM'ved overlaj) of the oldi'r beds as shown on section I)-C uiiii'iints to iii'arly two miies. The angle of inclination of its plane to iho Imri/ou is very low, ,'ind in conseipienee of this its outcrop follows ;i vt'iy sinuous Wno aloig the base of the mountains, and acts exactly like the line of contact ot' two nearly horizontal formations. The best places for examining this fault are at the ga|)s of the Bow iind (if the south fork of (rhost JJiver. .\t the formci- |dace theCre- tactMnis shales foi-ni the floor of the bay which the How has cut in the eastern wall ot' the range, and I'ise to a considei'abie height in the sur- i"imdiiig slopes. Their line of coiitact with the massive grey lime- MdiiiN lit' the overlying Castle Mountain group, is well seen near the t'litraiu'o to the gap. in the hills to the north. The fault plane here is ni'uily horizontal, and the two formations, viewed from the valley, :iIi|H'ar to succeed one another conformaiily. The line of junction tail ho traced westward for about halt a mile. I»ut towai'ils 'lio upper part of the gap becomes concealed, and soon afterwards the 3 vm '::il-:-c i-i ,' i '■1 34 D THK ROCKY MOUNTAINS. rndiilation in limit iilHiie. Sliiilcs little ilifliirlii'il. Liinostoiie.-" miicli altiTi'i (.'hiiractcr ot liiult lit .-Olltll fiirk ib Second liiuli. Cretaceous i-ocks bond down and are carried below the surface by ;, westerly dip. This undulation in the fault plane must indicate a period of disturbance subsequent to that in wliicli the main i'aulting was pro duced. The Cretaceous shales are bent sharply towards the east in a numbei- of places, but with this exception have sutl'ored little by the sliding ot the limestone over them, and theii' comparatively undisturbed condi- tion seems hardly compatible with the extreme faulting whicii was necessary to bring them into their present inferior jiosition. Tluy are, however, very soft, and doubtless owe their immunity to this fact. It is otherwise with the overlying limestones, which have been strongly corrugated in many ])laces, and are otten whitened and cracked in tho vicinity of the fault plane,the cracks liaving been subsequently filled wit li calc-spar. Kudosed ingillaceous beds have also been turned into schists, and the banded ajipetirance of much of the limestone is, no doubt, due to the shearing caused by the thrust. At the gap of the south fork of (ihost Eiver, where the fault was next examined, the Cretaceous shales, after dipping below the surface, rise again about :i mile farther up the valley, and I'cmain exposed for some distance befoi'c they finally disap])ear. The (Jastle Mountain group here is reduced to a mere tongue, only a few hundred feet thick, separating the Intermediate limestone from the Cretaceous, but, as it thickens out greatly when traced westwards, its faulted character is very evident. The section at this \)(ni\i has a further interest in the fact that a number of Benton fossils were found in the shales directly under the limestone, while a couple of miles north, along ilie strike of the beds, the overlying limestone yielded Cambrian fossils. The plane of the fault dips to the north after ])assing the south furk of Ghost Iiiver, and at the gap o.' the Devil's Lake valley the shales have disappeared, and the section .^how8 only the overlying limestones. The small area of Cretaceous shales observed by Dr. Dawson in the iiottom of the valley of the Hlbow River, about two miles west of the edge of the Palicozoic rocks, is ju'obalily to be accounted for by the continuation of the same great thrust fault to the south of the Bow. repeating the conditions de.'icribed on the south fork of Ghost River. (loing up the Devil's Lake valle}', along which the main section i.- mea>ured, the thil lying beds of the Castle Mountain group, overlain in the higher peaks by the Intermediate limestone, are observed to occuj)y both sides of the valley for some miles. Farther up they dip to the west, and are overlain >uccessively by the Hanti' limestone and ihe Cretaceous shales, and then the sefjuence is again broken, and the lat- ter are faulted for a second time under the oldei- beds. This I'ault has a stee}ier hade, and consequently a sti'aighter outcrop than the one ViCONNEU.] doscrilicd beloi'i lieiis lower tli;iii ninnitig lengtln lains, and has a mile.s. It run- The distrildii ihi-: fault is son ])ittt'lii's at the -I the faidt, and li; tii)ii. They ai'c !l('c|) ti-ausvci'se the line of fault. .Vbnut a mile the beds in tin l()l(leil, iiidicatii t'okling hei'e is i (listiu'bance of i to the north, ho ;i t'ow miles has Bantl' limestone tault strikes mo south would joii A tourth fan I oil' I of Devil's I the BaiitV, must 1 one last leferrei Itow i^ I'ejiresent I'allisc!' Range, t tii'U-ed clevatioi: thi' P.antl series, lit's the Cretueeo I'liiiyiuif series ol '•'I'lion. will MKiJ. W'ost c.tihis fa 'iOii liaM'd main '•fiiriiiu-. and ou h.v Dr. I>:iws(,ii c •iw'duit |)ul)lishe< The synclinal fo the general >ccli( liuii^'.iTse ridges if the iii'ils hero ■'0I1<.'^ nil the wt ^^ Ipfl 1 ■ '^' '0> V:'- VtCONNELU STKUCTI UAL KEATt-RES. 3;i D ,|osoi'il"'il hofore, and its throw i.s uIho miicli lews, as it nowliore oxposos beds Imvcr tli:m tho J};uifV liinostoiio. It follows a large sti'aight vuUoy iimiiini,' lengthwiso through tho whole extent ot' the Fairliolnie Moun- tains, uiiil lias also hoon traced north of the Devil's Luke valley for some It riiM^ about N. LWV. miior- The distrihution of the Cretaceous shales along the eastern side of w^'riijiition this fault is somewhat peculiar, as they iiave l>een preserved only Ol .^IlllllSS. in itu tchf tl ic >uinmits along the longitudinal valley which aceomjtanies lliotiiuli, and have been I'einoved tVoin all the lower part.-* I ly denuda- tion. Tlioy are eonseipiently not seen at the low elevations at which lii'fp tran>ver-(; valleys, like tht'se of the i 'evil's Head and Mow, cross the line nf t'aiilt. About a mile farther west, still going up the Wevil's Head valley, i'.''''- >>'"?'> till' beds in the mountains to the iioi-th suddenly l)eeome violently t'oldeil. indicating that a third line of disturbance is reached. The foliling here is not accompanied by much faulting, and i.s caused by the disturbance of the beds in the prolongation of a faulted line. Traced til tho north, however, it soon develops into a well-detined fault, and in u low miles has a throw of several thousand feet, and brings the Lower Bimtf linioslone u}) against the I'jijier Hantf shaU-s. The line of this t'iiult strikes more to the west than the preceding one. and if continued south wdiild join the latter a short distance south of the valley. A liiui'th fault crosses tho valley about two miles east of the west F.xirtli fault. oiiii of l^cvil's Lake, and as it bi-ings the Intermediate limestone over tho BanlV, iiuist have a throw of about tiOOO teet. This fault, like the Olio last referreil to, ilies out when followed southwards, and near the How i- represented by an anticlinal fold. Traced noilbwards into the I'lilli.ser JJange, newer beds are introduced in consecpience of the in- iioa>od elevation, and in ))lace of the Intermediate limestone overlying tho BaiitV series, as in the valley of Devil's Lake, the l5;i.itV >e; ies over- Hos the Crct.iceoiis shales. A comparison of section exploration, and a detailed awnunt publi>hed in the Annual Report f(u- 1S85. (See Part u, p. 12(J.) Tho >\ iiclinal fold describeil by him is not evident ah)nir the line of. ,. , ,. , , ,1 , . . r> . .Syuollllll! tul.l. tiio goiieral >eclion, but is well shown a few miles farther south, in the iiansverse ridges between the Bow and the Kananaskis. The attitude of tho beds here is illustrated in the two sections II and K. The linie- •loiie-' nil the west have been broken and shoved forcibly over the 'M: 'I VI 36 D THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. Onlv eiiptcru limd of fol,l jre.-tnt. Exfont ot throw. Cretaceoiifj Hhulctj, .-iikI in tlicii' toi'ward inuveiiieiit Iiave folded tli^ latter iind even overt ufiied llioiii in pluee.s. Tlie a.\if> of tiiis ibid icrudually a]t])roaclu's tlie western boundary of the ba.siu to the north- ward, and must become nearly eoineident with the eastern edge of the limestone in the vicinity of the entrance to the White Man's Pass. North of this, it is hiyhly pi'obalile that, for some ilistanco at least, only thv; ')rn limb of the fold is present, but the fragmentary char- acter of thn sections exposed in this 2»iirt of the valley made it impos- sible to prove this satisfactorily. Lciitrthot fault. "^^^ ^^^^^ along the western edge of this trough has been traced from the Kananaskis Eiver, in h direction about N. 35° \V., foi- about foiiy miles, ani' inu'jt aiso extenil southwanis foi' some considerable distiincc. as it is foTii.d iiif.i .■ 11; full force. It appears to attain its maximiini throw neari) ( r^;. •'■" Canmore, where it cuts through the Inter- mediate lin.e.-^^onc, ih^:' whole Haiitf series, and at least 4000 feet ol OrtVeous. indic'iting : 'f .'ether a dis|)laceinci t of over 10,000 led. To th ' north liie t' row niy'-iy diminishes, and the Intermeiliate lime- stone, followed by ilic v.-i'-i., ..a -iO'^diers ol the Bantf series, are success- ively bui'ied ly the ('retaceous snaics east of the fault. The gradual disappearance of these foi-niations ie plaiidy shown in the naked ea.sterlv ConiieeticM slopes of Cascade Mountain, and in the same range the intimate rcla- ami faults. tions existing between rttiiges and faults may also be observed. Tlii- range is built of limestone l)eds di|»ping westwai'ds, anil preseiilin::' their truncated edges to the east, and where cut by the Bow Valley ha- an elevation of over 5000 i'eet. It descends to the north in close con- nection with the decrease in the thi'ow (»f the iiiult. and, alter the iai ter ])asses into an anticlinal fold, l>ecomcs I'cdiiced to a low, round. ■(! ridge. The limestones west of the fault are often lieiit by their prcssinu against tlic \>vd> on the eastern sics about .")0 here is either coi and the Bantf lin jui'lace. Inconii :he line oi' liuiU Banft' shales, anc ti'i^ethor and thrc pe;ik> running pii :,ii(l elii-e paralk ■vlitit r.'markable levei'sed titults o iuieady noted th ■verh-ing beds, a j'laiie \v(uild eaiiS' A fourth line n: ia-in— but the eij :it the eastern b iividing line bet\ :''Miii,i,'- along tl .e'luiru much add imia i;lance at tl .!: '-iiiii-acier alon ■'etweeii neighboi The <;eneral sec :aid it. continued ( ''Vyi'(l> alonir tlie : -eetiiili ihc beds f lepien-iited in llu ;>i't' ic|ieated on t •ip i'' then main •exposed. I>isturl ■I'oss this section 'f Pilot .MountJiij ''astle Mountain ^ >ertiou M_L(; fjf'i'th, near the si w^CCilEtl.] SIRrcTl'KAl' FKATIHE.S. 37 n •.'ue !>iiit'>. ;ii'«' folded back on tlie eastorn side of the fault, and arc liverhiul by the older Intermediate liniestotie. Tiie thermal springs iirtvidUs'iy mentioiu'd are situated in elose j)roxinjily to lliu line of this fault. V third limit oceurs east of the Sawliack Range, and has ilisplaeed F"iniit cast of ; ill' beds to a greater extent than any met with west ot the gap, as it lUnKe. cutt> through the J3antf series and the Intermeiliate limestone, ami expoH's about 5000 feet ot' the Castle Mountain group. The fraituro lii'ie is either eoinjjound or encloses fragments of both the Intermediate und the BanlV limestones, which have been sliced otf and carried to the •iirlace. Incomplete sections of both these formations are found along ;he line ot' liiull between the Castle Mountain groiij) and the Upper Banff shales, and in one case the beds of the hitter, tblded closely :'irithur and thrown into an upright position, tbrm a series of sharp pe;ili> running }iarallel witli the range. The high haile of this fault, sioephade. iiiiil close jiarallelism of tlie beds both above and below it, are some. viiiit ivuiarkable. but are I'eatures not infrequently met with in the tviM'M'd i;iult> <<\' highly disturbed regions. In most of the faults iuiciuly noted the hade corresponds very closely with the dip of the .vc'i'lying beds, and a steeper tilting of the strata enclosing the fault iilaiic would causi' them to assume much the same ap])earance. A I'niii'th line t of the series, occurs tain. :.; ;lic (.■ii^tcrn ba^e of the Castle Mountain range, and t'orms the liviijing line lictwcen the two geological |)roviiiecs. The faults and :'"Ming> ahuig \h\> jiiu' are as yet imperfectly understood, and will .f'Hurc much adtlitional examinution. They are extremely complicated. .iinia glance at the accompanying set'tion will show their rapid change .'.: 'haiaciei' along the strike, and the little correspondence existing ietwecu neighboring parallel sections. Tiic L'vncral section crosses the How \'alley opjiosite J'ilot Mountain, Direction of aiid is continued on to the Bow River anticlinal, and then jogged north- '"^"'^^™ '^^" '° wanU along the strike to the entrance to the Hector j'ass. In this 'i"ii 'he beds are bent into a synclinal attitude, and the formations iil'icniited in ihe.'^awbacdc Kangi'. after dipping below the Bow ^'alley, aif ivpeated on tiic oihei- side in Pilot Mountain, :ind their easterly 'ii]i !■? then maintained until the beds of the How Eiver group are expdsed. I'isturbed lines, probably accompanied with .some faulting, i)j^,„ri,^.,iii,„ iross this section near the centre of the Bow Valle}', and again west ■'f Pilot Mount^tin near the point of contact of the How Kiver and ' a>;l<' Muuiitain grou])s. >e' lion M—L crosses the disturbed belt about fourteen miles further torlh. near the summit of Johnson Creek, ;ind is br.jken by two large '('i«H 1 ,' ; ' ':- *:•..! .'(•ri rii:;:i 1 :; il •J*' 38 D TlIK UOi'KV MDUMAIN.S. .•^I'Ctiiin I'Oiir ■r, and has produced much folding- ;u\d tilteration. In one case, al)out a mile north of the section, some of the Jiow Biver group conglomerate was found interbedded with the Bantf limestone, either folded or lanlled in, in some way not easily understood. This section show> the relations of the tbrmations, north of the valley of Bilker Creek, but going south the fault plane must either bend suddeidy downwards ui i- let down by a cross fault, as the southern Iiank of this valley shnw- (jnl}' the beds of the Castle Mountain group. This uneveness of the fault plane probably indicates a second period of disturbance. "West of this line of disturbance the structure ot the mountains changis completely, and reversed faults and westerly dips, hitherto all import- ant, cease to be the prevailing features. The<'astle Mniiniain range— the first range in the western geological division — has the form of a gentle synclinc, and is built of the shales, (iu;irtzile.> and conglomerates of the Bow Biver group, overlain by the massive doh)mites and tli.' limestones and shales of the Castle Mountain gr«uip. This syncline ii followed i)y u great anticlinal fold, which Ijrings up the lowest bod> found in the range. The seemingly prodigiou> thickne>s of the Bow Biver group in this anticlinal, :is shown in >ectionsM— Land O— X. - probably dut\ to .-ome extent at least, to repetition> cau>ed }>y ^ulv sidiary foldings. Farther west in the watershed ranii;e the beds bend under a second moderately flat synclinal, and are then displai'cd by a steep fault. These folds n\\ strike about N. o.")" W. The dips are >bown in the aceomiianying .section and iieeii not be described. Tiie fault mentioned above pa,sses between Mount Stephen :ind Cathedni' Mountain, and on the op])osite side of the valley run- through tiie eastern .shoulder of Mmm Field. It has a iKeleOf 7")" and a down- throw to the west of iibout 3000 feet. li.rwlUver The beds of the Bow Biver ^'rouii, almost buried bv this fault, are uroup. ' •' Synclinal ami .■mticlinal fulil- u.aANtii.] arclu'ii up iigai ilistance along ;iiMint 11 mile ea luiliclinal by tl .iji|n'f anil grcji West oi Mou fli'.Ned. and at (ioloniitic tirgi Mountain gnui They are sharp noted above, ai !:ioie argillacei ■liiscly resenibl :lint fiirniation. To establish tli necessary to m These beds which run near They ai-e toiin 't' soft, greenis iti 11 high anj.' where they arc retlclisli slates a' !"ni,'itiiilinal sys -tTdiiil les> cons Mount Hunte :>:> a bund of hoa and has iieen be il: the section. Tlie valleys of tl isli schists. alm< Otter-tail, but d K'aiige the Castl whole series alo: •liiiiil altitude a -yncline flattens i'Ut. There is piaeetl by a faul raiiire of the chi Mountidn grou[ into caleai'eous have 11 westei'ly '-Ut liv a set of li.CfNNril.] HTRUCTl'RAT, KEATURES. .^fl r. iirclu'd III" again by a serond nntidinal, and arc tlion exposed for some (listant'O along the l»nse of Mount Slophen, but disappoar tinally iiliout a mile oast of Field. They are overlain and folh.wcd round the anticlinal by the dolomites oi'tlie Castle Mountain group, of whicli the ni)i(.r and greater part of (lie nmuntain consists. West of Mount Steplujn, in Mount Dennis, the beds become violently Mount Dennis, tlexcd. and at the same time the doloTnites are replaced by cleaved idloinitic argillites. These beds have been classed with the Castle .Mounlain gruup, but the reference is not altogether fiee from doiilit. Tlievare sharply separated from known horizons by the disturbed belt noted al'ove, are destitute of delerminalde i'oseils, and are also mudi nioi'C argillaceous than the typical Castle Mountain dolomites, but losely resemble in this res])ect the shaly bands which occur all through that fiirmaiion. but which are especially characteristic of its upper pai't. To^•stabli^ll their relationshijt satisfactorily, howcvo'. it would be necessary to measure a connecting section in a less disturbed district. These bods are cut by a series of small calcite or (|uartzite veins, uhiili run nearly ])arallel with the bedding, and are olteii metalliferous, Tlicv are toiuid in the valley oi' the Otter-tail, where they consist ..it' soft, gri'enish, imjterfectly schistose beds, dipping to tlie west at a liigli angle, and in the \'an llorne and Otter-tail ranges. where they are characterized by lower dijjs and are associated with mldisli slates and limestones. Both those ranges are traversed l)y a longitudinal system of nearly vertical cleavage planes, and also by a ^ei'Oiid les> conspicuous set runidng neai'ly at right angles to the tirst. Moiuit Hunter, west of the Van llorne Mountains, owes its origin Momu Hunter. to a band of heavy bedded limestones, which here occurs in this series, and l:;i> been bent almost, at right angles in the peculiar manner shown in tilt section. West of this point the prevailing dips iire to the east. The valleys of the Wajita ;ind Hetiver-foot are underlain by soft, green- ish s(lii>ts, almost exactly the same as those found in the valley of the Otler-iail, but dipping in the o))posite direction. In the Beaver-foot liaiige iheCiistle Mountain group is overlain by newer beds, and the whole -erio> along the section cut by the Wtipta River is bent into a syn- •linal attitude aiul overturned to the west. South along the range this -yndino flattens out.and opposite Palli.ser the up])er bods arc only slight Iv lent. There is reason to susjtect, however, that the bods here are dis- placed by a fault. West of the Be!iv(>r-foot I'unge, — the most westerly rani:v of the chain — in the Columbia valley, the bods of the Castle Mountain group are represented by impure shaly limestones, j)assing into calcareous and often somewhat altered iirgillites. These beds have a westerly dip, and are sharply corrugated in places. They are cut by a set of small cale-spar veins, which have tisually nearly the ,5 ; i\\m I, I- •-■ ' ^J Willi 'K )Ui: 40 n TIIK linclsV M<)i;.\TAIN.S. Hiuui' inclinations a.> tho «tnitii, aiul are iTUiiiplod in a similar manner with till' l)l'll8. Conclusion. Tho poftion of tho Rocky Mountains oxaniinod in tho con.structioti of tho acconi])aii\in!,' section is tluis cliai-actoi-izoil in its oastorn pai't by a series of groat fractiiros anil tlii'iiNt I'anlts, in tho contro l)y broad, sweeping folds, and in the west by folding ami cruni))Iing, accom- panied by the development of cleavago-])lanoH and a limited amount of metamor])liisni. Among its othci' more important features, may aNo b(> noted the absence of roi'ognizal)le unconformities, iho absence ot anv of the older crystalline schists, tho relatively smaller amount of disturbance in the central (larts of the range than towards the edges, the want of similai'ity in the sequence of tho formations oast ani west of the axis, and the marked preponderance <«f calcareous beds between the Midille Cambrian and the Cretaceous. Notes o.v Kconomfc Mfnerals. 'fho following notes ai'O partly ropi'inted from the Preliminary Eeport given to the I'ircctoi' on my return last autumn, and sinre j)ul)lisbed in the Rejiort of the Mini^tei' of the Interior. The >ection of the mountains in the vicinity of the railway contains a variety of mineral deposits, and has every indication of becoming an important mining region. Tho Cretaceous bods of tho Cascade trougli hold a number of seams of excellent coal, while farther west the Cani- lirian and Cambro-Silui-ian limestones and schists, which cover most i'! the counti'v between Silver City and tlie Columl)ia, are almost every Avheie metalliferous, and few mountains have been ])ro.s))ected in tiii>> district which have not yielded oi'cs of some kind. In the past season, with the exception of some work in the Otter-tail valley ami in the liantl'coal mines, little mining of any importance ha." been attempted, but prospecting has been actively and successfully engaged in. and a number of valuable discoveries arc i-eported. In the Silver City district, mining at |)resent is at a standstill, and beyond prospecting, nothing is being done. Tn tlie Otter-tail district, the Otter-tail Gold ami Silver Mining Com pan}' have worked three claims during the sea.son. One of these, the 'Louis"' (daim, is situated directly under tho railway track, ai)out one and a quarter miles east of the Otter-tail station ; the other two are on the east side of the creek, about a mile and a half up the stream from tho railway cros.sing. A gootl road has been constructed from the railway to the mines, and etVective jn'oparations made for haixlling the ore. A little farther up, the Otter-tail is joined from the soutii by the Wn-ti'el Crrtdi. llic host -cams JM'cn slakrd out, III' 11 frw mill" Millie iire licing \ law-, and the t rOi;ister Ih'IIi w laiiioly rospoiisil an .'irgentifei'oii- iif Li'dld. and occ ^r iM'Mi'ly so, to sloiios, which fi >iiimII. s ■ .M"liarrli " ;mii| iiiiT csiiiTi.'illy III iiViT "ix fet't III' so .alia '•M;inkot-lo, lali't'ireiiii- rocks, liif -rvcral liiuidrc Inn Place, by bias I'OOii I'li.'ililed to e> iiiiii'd'i'cl depo-il. iVmii rmir to ide\ .\iiiiiial li'i'iiofi ot' |n'ii>aliiig adv.Miita |i:ii'alively inexpei |||'iiNiiiiiiy |o ;i rai A Vein of calcit "jiiiifd iirai' (iiddc "t llie kind known NOTES ON ECONOMIC MINEHAI„S, 41 I. WrttW'l Civi'li, nil wliich i> -ilimlfii llic •'('u|>|M'r r.i)ii:iii/.:i," one .if llir besi -f:ini> in tlic ili^trirl. A l;ii'>;t' miinlirr nl' otluT cluinis li;ivo lii'i'ii slitki'il oiil, oiu' f()in|i;iiiy :il()iH' owiiiiifi; IwtMily. williiii :i circuil nC 11 I'l'W iiiilt's: lint, willi tin' i'\('('|tti(iii of tlmso iiu'iilioiicil ;ili(ivi;, ii.iiif arc liciiiLT woiUcil at |)i('>-i'iit. Tin' iiiiccrlaiii .stati' of tlic iiiiiiinn- law-, ami iIh' extra (!X|ii'Mso uiid Iroiilili' iicci-sHitaUMl \>y having- U) loifjstcr lii'lli witli the noiniiiioii and I'roviiicial (iovoiiiiii(>iil>, is laijioly ros|ioiisii)lo for tliis Htali^ of allaii-. Tlio ore in tiii- Inraiily in an .'iriicntiferoiis li'alcna, iiHsociatoil willi some coppor, /im- ami traces (if Li'olil, Mini nccuis ill siiiall i|iiait/, iir caicitc veins niiiiiiiin- parallel, ii' nearly so, to the HtriUool' tlie ralcareoiirt seliisiM, shale-- anil liine- >lom,^. wliieh form tlu" country rock of the dislricf. The seams are >iiiail, sclilom exceeiliny' eighteen inchi's in thickness, hut the ore is ir|Miiti'il to ((Hitain a high ju-rcenlagc of silver. A btamiiiiig mill lias ln'cii |iiil npiieai' the Canadian I'acilic Railway I'lo-sing nf the Otter- tail, li}' llie " leicky Moiintain Milling and Ore licdiictioii Company," and the Die frniii the dill'crent mines i^ ndw crushed and concmt rated I'i'forc -liipineiit. Xrar I'icld. Messrs. Collnian i^ Weitman have openeil up iIh- Miiiianir and "Cornucopia" claims in Mount Stephen, and the for iiii'i' is|»'rially now iiresents a very favorahle appeai-ance, showing iivci' -ix feet of solid galena. The ore here is deposited in what miners lall a '' I'laiiketdiide," and appears to impiegnale a zone t vertical clitV, has liot'ii ciialilcd to c.\|>lore it still farther, ami reports the diHeovory of a iiiiic-t'ci dcpo-ii. 'I'he galena is low grade in silver, conljiining only tViiiii tiiur to eleven ounces to the ton, (see a>says l!)-2'2, I'art m. .\iiiiiial l.'ciiori of the (icologieal Survey for 1S8.'), ) luit possesses com- lii'ii-atiiig advantages in the extent id' the deposit, the easy and coiii- |i;ii'alivcly inexpensive manner in wliii h it can he worked, ami in its I'l'iixiiniiy to a railway station. A vein of lalcite. flecked ihrotigh with grains of eiiinaliar. is heing '||hiiim1 Hear (ioldeii ('ity, and i-. interesting ;is heiiii'; the only deposit "I tile kind known in ihe entire region.