Geological Observations on South AmericaDarwin, Charles
Science
Geological Observations on South America
Darwin, Charles
Beagle Expedition (1831-1836); Geology -- South America; Mollusks, Fossil -- South America; Paleontology
This island lies between the Chonos and Chiloe groups: it is about
eight hundred feet high, and perhaps has a nucleus of metamorphic
rocks. The strata which I examined consisted of fine-grained muddy
sandstones, with fragments of lignite and concretions of calcareous
sandstone. I collected the following extinct shells, of which the
Turritella was in great numbers:—
1. Bulla cosmophila, G.B. Sowerby. 2. Pleurotoma subaequalis, G.B.
Sowerby. 3. Fusus cleryanus, d’Orbigny, “Voyage Pal.” (also at
Coquimbo). 4. Triton leucostomoides, G.B. Sowerby. 5. Turritella
Chilensis, G.B. Sowerby (also Mocha). 6. Venus, probably a distinct
species, but very imperfect. 7. Cytheraea (?) sulculosa (?), probably a
distinct species, but very imperfect. 8. Dentalium majus, G.B. Sowerby.
CHILOE.
This fine island is about one hundred miles in length. The entire
southern part, and the whole western coast, consists of mica-schist,
which likewise is seen in the ravines of the interior. The central
mountains rise to a height of 3,000 feet, and are said to be partly
formed of granite and greenstone: there are two small volcanic
districts. The eastern coast, and large parts of the northern extremity
of the island are composed of gravel, the boulder formation, and
underlying horizontal strata. The latter are well displayed for twenty
miles north and south of Castro; they vary in character from common
sandstone to fine-grained, laminated mudstones: all the specimens which
I examined are easily fusible, and some of the beds might be called
volcanic grit-stones. These latter strata are perhaps related to a mass
of columnar trachyte which occurs behind Castro. The sandstone
occasionally includes pebbles, and many fragments and layers of
lignite; of the latter, some are apparently formed of wood and others
of leaves: one layer on the N.W. side of Lemuy is nearly two feet in
thickness. There is also much silicified wood, both common
dicotyledonous and coniferous: a section of one specimen in the
direction of the medullary rays has, as I am informed by Mr. R. Brown,
the discs in a double row placed alternately, and not opposite as in
the true Araucaria. I found marine remains only in one spot, in some
concretions of hard calcareous sandstone: in several other districts I
have observed that organic remains were exclusively confined to such
concretions; are we to account for this fact, by the supposition that
the shells lived only at these points, or is it not more probable that
their remains were preserved only where concretions were formed? The
shells here are in a bad state, they consist of:—
1. Tellinides (?) oblonga, G.B. Sowerby (a solenella in M. d’Orbigny’s
opinion). 2. Natica striolata, G.B. Sowerby. 3. Natica (?) pumila, G.B.
Sowerby. 4. Cytheraea (?) sulculosa, G.B. Sowerby (also Ypun and
Huafo?).
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