RECORD: Darwin, C. R. 12.1832. Geological diary: Good Success Bay. CUL-DAR34.16. Edited by John van Wyhe (Darwin Online, http://darwin-online.org.uk/).

REVISION HISTORY: Transcribed by Kees Rookmaaker, corrections by John van Wyhe 12.2010, corrections by Gordon Chancellor 5.2011. RN3

NOTE: See record in the Darwin Online manuscript catalogue, enter its Identifier here. This document, part of the largest scientific document composed by Darwin during the voyage of the Beagle, is written mostly in ink.

Reproduced with the permission of the Syndics of Cambridge University Library and William Huxley Darwin.

See the introduction to the Geological Diary by Gordon Chancellor.


16

Good Success Bay — December 20th [1832]

General features of the country are low rounded mountains, covered with almost impervious forest of Fagus Betuloids? Antarcticus —

These hills are exclusively slate & with accompanying beds of more siliceous rocks often with Iron (878) & others of breccia, — where angular fragments of slate are imbedded in a similar matrix so completely that the junction is barely visible perceptible — On the mountain south of the bay the slate is fine (876 grained compact & very fissile, the seams being of slippy as if Talcose veins crystals of quartz. — the cleavage dips to the SSE at an angle 43°. — This

If the modern strata which narrows to a point at St. Polycarpe be taken out of consideration the general shape of this tongue land agrees with the range of strata. — Further within the country the country some of the hills slate on summits contain layers which contain much specular Iron (877). — At the furthest point to which I penetrated

16 verso

was the largest mountain in the immediately surrounding country. — here the beds dipped to the South & ranged E & W. — The water at this point divides some flowing into Good Success bay, others into the flat country behind Valentyns bay off Polycarp. — This was determined by a lofty ridge, which ran N by W & S by E, that is to say nearly at rt ∠s to the range of elevation. — this shows how great the force has been which has excavated the vallies, having removed far greater portions than now remain. — All the hills were evidently slate & in the neighbourhead. — so that the horizontal strata I should think must rest on the basset edge of the slate. —

Bell Mountain I should think not slate: probably the same rock as one in Valentyns Bay: —


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Citation: John van Wyhe, ed. 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online. (http://darwin-online.org.uk/)

File last updated 25 September, 2022