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
Sixthly: a thinly stratified mass of bright green, compact,
smooth-grained, calcareo-argillaceous stone, easily fusible, and
emitting a strong aluminous odour: the whole has a highly
angulo-concretionary structure; and it resembles, to a certain extent,
some of the upper tufaceo-infusorial deposits of the Patagonian
tertiary formation. It is in its nature allied to our pseudo-honestone,
and it includes well characterised layers of that variety; and other
layers of a pale green, harder, and brecciated variety; and others of
red sedimentary matter, like that of bed Three. Some pebbles of
porphyries are embedded in the upper part.
Seventhly: red sedimentary matter or sandstone like that of bed One,
several hundred feet in thickness, and including jaspery layers, often
having a finely brecciated structure.
Eighthly: white, much indurated, almost crystalline tuff, several
hundred feet in thickness, including rounded grains of quartz and
particles of green matter like that of bed Six. Parts pass into a very
pale green, semi- porcellanic stone.
Ninthly: red or brown coarse conglomerate, three or four hundred feet
thick, formed chiefly of pebbles of porphyries, with volcanic
particles, in an arenaceous, non-calcareous, fusible basis: the upper
two feet are arenaceous without any pebbles.
Tenthly: the last and uppermost stratum here exhibited, is a compact,
slate-coloured porphyry, with numerous elongated crystals of glassy
feldspar, from one hundred and fifty to two hundred feet in thickness;
it lies strictly conformably on the underlying conglomerate, and is
undoubtedly a submarine lava.
This great pile of strata has been broken up in several places by
intrusive hillocks of purple claystone porphyry, and by dikes of
porphyritic greenstone: it is said that a few poor metalliferous veins
have been discovered here. From the fusible nature and general
appearance of the finer-grained strata, they probably owe their origin
(like the allied beds of the Uspallata range, and of the Upper
Patagonian tertiary formations), to gentle volcanic eruptions, and to
the abrasion of volcanic rocks. Comparing these beds with those in the
mining district of Arqueros, we see at both places rocks easily
fusible, of the same peculiar bright green and red colours, containing
calcareous matter, often having a finely brecciated structure, often
passing into each other, and often alternating together: hence I cannot
doubt that the only difference between them, lies in the Arqueros beds
having been more metamorphosed (in conformity with their more
dislocated and injected condition), and consequently in the calcareous
matter, oxide of iron and green colouring matter, having been
segregated under a more crystalline form.
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