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
Commencing at the western end of Section 1/1 where the R. Maypu
debouches on the plain of St. Jago, we immediately enter on the
porphyritic conglomerate formation, and in the midst of it find some
hummocks [A] of granite and syenite, which probably (for I neglected to
collect specimens) belong to the andesitic class. These are succeeded
by some rugged hills [B] of dark-green, crystalline, feldspathic and in
some parts slaty rocks, which I believe belong to the altered
clay-slate formation. From this point, great mountains of purplish and
greenish, generally thinly stratified, highly porphyritic
conglomerates, including many strata of amygdaloidal and greenstone
porphyries, extend up the valley to the junction of the rivers Yeso and
Volcan. As the valley here runs in a very southerly course, the width
of the porphyritic conglomerate formation is quite conjectural; and
from the same cause, I was unable to make out much about the
stratification. In most of the exterior mountains the dip was gentle
and directed inwards; and at only one spot I observed an inclination as
high as 50 degrees. Near the junction of the R. Colorado with the main
stream, there is a hill of whitish, brecciated, partially decomposed
feldspathic porphyry, having a volcanic aspect but not being really of
that nature: at Tolla, however, in this valley, Dr. Meyen met with a
hill of pumice containing mica. (“Reise um Erde” Th.1 ss. 338, 341.) At
the junction of the Yeso and Volcan [D] there is an extensive mass, in
white conical hillocks, of andesite, containing some mica, and passing
either into andesitic granite, or into a spotted, semi-granular mixture
of albitic (?) feldspar and hornblende: in the midst of this formation
Dr. Meyen found true trachyte. The andesite is covered by strata of
dark-coloured, crystalline, obscurely porphyritic rocks, and above them
by the ordinary porphyritic conglomerates,—the strata all dipping away
at a small angle from the underlying mass. The surrounding lofty
mountains appear to be entirely composed of the porphyritic
conglomerate, and I estimated its thickness here at between six and
seven thousand feet. Beyond the junction of the Yeso and Volcan, the
porphyritic strata appear to dip towards the hillocks of andesite at an
angle of 40 degrees; but at some distant points on the same ridge they
are bent up and vertical. Following the valley of the Yeso, trending
N.E. (and therefore still unfavourable for our transverse section), the
same porphyritic conglomerate formation is prolonged to near the
Cuestadel Indio, situated at the western end of the basin (like a
drained lake) of Yeso. Some way before arriving at this point, distant
lofty pinnacles capped by coloured strata belonging to the great
gypseous formation could first be seen. From the summit of the Cuesta,
looking southward, there is a magnificent sectional view of a
mountain-mass, at least 2,000 feet in thickness [E], of fine andesite
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account