Remarks on the sedimentary formations of New South Wales : illustrated by references to other provinces of Australasia / by W.B. Clarke.

  • Clarke, William Branwhite, 1798-1878.
Date:
1878
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Remarks on the sedimentary formations of New South Wales : illustrated by references to other provinces of Australasia / by W.B. Clarke. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    “ There would therefore be the following three forms :— (1.) Rhacopteris incequilatera, Gopp. (2.) „ Habellifera, Stur. (3.) „ Romeri, Feistrn. Of these forms are present in your Lowest Coal-beds—at Smith's Creek the forms Nos. 1 and 3, and at Port Stephens No. 1. “ The other little specimen which you sent from Smith’s Creek looks very like some forms which also occur in the Silesian Kohlenkalk, and which I thought could belong to the genus Psilophyton or which possibly could perhaps be the fructification of a fern. This will be determined hereafter, but so much is certain that similar forms occur in the Lower Carboniferous.” [Since the foregoing has been in type, I have received a copy of a paper printed in the “Records of the Geol. Survey of India,” No. 1, 1878, entitled “ The Palceontological relations of the Gondivana System : a Reply to Dr. Feist- mantel, by TV. T. Blanford, F.R.S., Deputy Superintendent, Geol. Survey of India.” I can now only refer my readers to this document, which continues the discussion as to connection between the Indian and Australian Coal- formations to date.—W.B.C.] Note.—With respect to column headed “Newcastle Beds.” It appears to Dr. Feist- mantel from the descriptions given, that these beds are above the Marine beds, and that they have no Palaeozoic fossils in them except the heterocercal fish. The flora is completely Mesozoic; and considering the position of these beds to the following strata, they should, judged from their flora only, appear best as of Triassic age. But as it seems that strati- graphically las determined by Mr. Clarke) they are in close connection with the strata in column marked 6, and as Mr. Clarke insists upon the heterocercal fish (Urosthenes) showing evidence of a Palseozoic age, Dr. Feistmantel thinks there can be no objection to consider these Newcastle beds as terminating the Palaeozoic epoch in Australia ; but after which only (he suggests) Glossopteris spread out to India and Africa (?), there being no direct evidence for a Palseozoic age of that epoch during which Glossopteris lived in India— on the contrary, all evidence being in favour of a Triassic epoch. From the first he did not consider these beds younger than Triassic, but always as Lowest Trias. Sydney : Thomas Richards, Government Printer.—1878.