| OCR Text |
Show 116 SPRING VALLEY BAKGJt. Although the neighbouring mountains continued nil whitened by it. After muoh search, water » was found in a tfeep ravine sea* by; and grass was tolerably abundant, though dry and hard.- As the mules were nearly exhausted and much stiffened by their journey across the deep mud- plains, I determined to remain here for the day, to recruit them. A couple of men were sent back afoot, to try and recover those left yesterdays they returned, after dark, bringing with them one only; the other had strayed from the road, and all efforts to recover it were vafth It was the third Jo^ t on this trip. A deep ravine at the foot of the mountain presented sections . of the strata. The lowest exposed was dark limestone with white veins, inclined to the south- east, at an angle of 85°; in fact, almost vertical. Ascending the ravine, the limestone was found to' be overlaid by red sandstone, and this again by clayey shales. All these rocks had been altered by heat. No organic remains were found in the sand& toned or shales, but gtfme corals were seen in the limestone. The rooks were all veined ivith white marble. Large crystalline nodules of this substance were found, which assumed the form of arragonite. Some specimens of iron ore- were also , found, apparently a carbonate, but not in place. Ther. at noon, 87*; sunset, 81°. - ' Monday, November 5."- Ther. 23°. Morning clear and quite cold. Crossed the mountain through the pass. The sdow was about . two inches deep and the ground froaen hard. Followed down the easterniUope for about two miles, when we came to a spring- branch issuing from a gorge of the mountains where there was plenty of green grass*- the first full supply our animals had enjoyed for r several days. - >. ' The only rocks observed in crossing, the mountain were limestones, containing remains of encrinites and corals. A wide dike . of trap formed the crest; and, on the eastern aide, another dike wasiseen running north by east, and south by wesfy forming the summit of a lower ridge* The limestones were tilted" up almost vertically, but as the surface of the ground was covered with snOwj the nature of the strata and their direction could not be very accurately ascertained. A piece of altered'coal was found. at the eastern bade Q? the mountain, but not in place. The lower hills were covered with conglomerate not conformable. Leaving the spring, our true course lay about east, to strike the southern point of another range ten miles distant, and forming the eastern boundary of a broad, green, intervening valley, which ex- |
