Commemorations for Kiahk 15
This day marks the departure of St. Gregory, the Patriarch of the Armenians who was a martyr, without bloodshed (A Confessor). This saint, as it was mentioned on the 19th day of the Coptic month of Tute, was tortured by Tiridates, the Armenian king, in the year 272 A.D. for disobeying the king and refusing to worship the idols. The king cast the saint into an empty pit where he lived for 15 years, during which God took care of him.
Near the pit lived an old widow, who saw, in a vision, someone telling her to make bread regularly and cast it into this pit. She continued to do so for 15 years. Because of the length of time, no one in his congregation knew if he was alive or dead.
When the king killed Arbsima, the virgin, and all the virgins who were with her, he also ordered that their bodies be cast away on the mountains. Later on he regretted what he did for he wanted to marry Arbsima.
When the king's family and close advisers saw how he grieved for killing St. Arbsima, they advised him to go out for hunting to recreate himself. While he was riding his horse the Devil jumped on him and cast him on the ground. King Tiridates became possessed with an evil spirit and assumed the appearance and manners of a wild boar, to an extent that no one was able to go near him safely. Many of the people of his kingdom had the same fate. Great fear and crying was heard all over the palace and the kingdom as a result of what had happened to the king and many others as a result of what the king did to the virgins.
The king's sister saw a vision on three consecutive nights. A man was telling her that unless she brought St. Gregory out of the pit, the King would not be saved nor would be cured. The people were surprised, since they believed that he was dead. They went to the pit and dropped a rope and called his name. When the saint moved the rope, they knew that he was still alive, they asked him to tie the rope around him and they pulled him out.
The people took the Saint with great honor to the palace. They asked him to heal the king of his sickness. The Saint asked him if he would go back to his evil deeds. When the king expressed no intention of going back to his evil works, the saint prayed for him, and the evil spirit departed from him. His personality and his mind were restored, but he was not completely cured. The nails of his hands and feet remained like those of a boar as a punishment and as a reminder to him of what he was and in order for him not to go back to his evil works.
The saint inquired about the whereabouts of the bodies of the virgins. He went and found them undecayed and he placed them in an honorable place.
St. Gregory cured all who were sick and cast out many devils. The king and his people believed. He taught and baptized them. He built many churches, ordained bishops and priests for them and he instituted laws for them to follow.
When he completed his strife, he departed in peace.
His prayers be with us and Glory be to our God forever. Amen.


In the era of Facebook and Twitter, it's clear we love talking about ourselves—indeed, the topic makes up 40% of our everyday conversation. Now scientists can explain why: Doing so stimulates the brain the same way sex, food, and cash do. Researchers scanned subjects' brains and found that parts linked to those pleasures lit up when subjects chatted about themselves.
Researchers also offered study subjects up to 4 cents per question to talk about topics other than themselves, like President Obama. Turns out "people were even willing to forgo money in order to talk about themselves," says a researcher. Subjects would part with 17% to 25% of the potential cash for an opportunity for self-disclosure, the Wall Street Journal reports.


Israel was born as a sanctuary for a people banished from their homeland, harassed in exile and ultimately subjected to mass murder. But there is more than one population here that meets this description. For, the Jewish state is home to another dispersed, insular and tradition-bound nation that has suffered through the trauma of exile and one of the most devastating genocides of modern times.
Some 1.5 million Circassians were killed in the Caucasian War of the mid-to-late 19th century, and another million — fully 90% of the population — were deported from their land in the Caucasus Mountains. Today, roughly 4,000 Circassians live in Israel, where they constitute the country’s only Sunni Muslim community that sends each of its sons to the military.
Read post on Arty Semite blog about Israeli museums’ spotlight on Circassians.
“We’ve traditionally been friends with both Jews and Arabs, even when they were fighting among themselves,” said Zoher Thawcho, the 39-year-old co-founder of the Circassian Heritage Center in Kfar Kama. “We don’t see everything Israel does as holy, nor what the Arab states or Palestinians do…. It’s not as if we say, ‘From now on we’re with you, so we’re enemies of the other.’”
Most Circassians (sur-CASH-ins) took refuge in the lands of the Ottoman Empire. Today, 2 million of the world’s 7 million Circassians live in Turkey, with another 120,000 in Syria and 100,000 in Jordan. Circassians were Christian for 1,000 years, but from the 16th to the 19th century became Islamized under the influence of Crimean Tatars and Ottoman Turks.
In Israel, the community is spread across two villages in the green hills of the Galilee: Kfar Kama — 13 miles southwest of Tiberias, population 3,000; and Rehaniya — nine miles north of Safed, population 1,000. In the 16th century, the Circassians also founded Abu Ghosh, now a famous restaurant town located west of Jerusalem, but their progeny long ago adopted the Arabic language and culture of their surroundings.
“Circassians are like a prism that shows just how polarized Israeli society is,” said Chen Bram, an anthropologist who is currently working as a professor at the University of Florida. “It’s as if someone who doesn’t fit into the category of either Jew or Arab is from another planet. They’re neither here nor there.
“In terms of their day-to-day lives, both politically and ideologically, they’re closer to Jewish society. But in recent years, on the margins, there has also been more identification with their Islamic identity. I attribute that to a reaction to various racist remarks that have been thrown their way.”


Severe dyslexia is caused by disorientation, which for dyslexic people means that they have an innacurate perception of the words. That is, they might see the letters of the words jumbled around in all sorts of different ways. There is no way that a dyslexic person who suffers from this sort of disorientation can ever remember a word, because the word seems different every time they look at it.
There is no single pattern of difficulty that affects all dyslexic people. A dyslexic person might have any of the following problems:
- She might see some letters as backwards or upside down;
- She might not be able to tell the difference between letters that look similar in shape such as o and e and c ;
- She might not be able to tell the difference between letters that have similar shape but different orientation, such as b and p and d and q ;
- The letters might look all jumbled up and out of order;
- The letters and words might look all bunched together;
- The letters of some words might appear completely backwards, such as the word bird looking like drib
- The letters and words might look o.k., but the dyslexic person might get a severe headache or feel sick to her stomach every time she tries to read;
- She might see the letters o.k., but not be able to sound out words -- that is, not be able to connect the letters to the sounds they make and understand them;
- She might be able to connect the letters and sound out words, but not recognize words she has seen before, no matter how many times she has seen them -- each time she would have to start fresh;
- She might be able to read the words o.k. but not be able to make sense of or remember what she reads, so that she finds herself coming back to read the same passage over and over again.
The dyslexic people might see the letters of the words jumbled around in all sorts of different ways.


Talking to Your Doctor About Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
You have a unique medical history. Therefore, it is essential to talk with your doctor about your personal risk factors and/or experience with
generalized anxiety disorder
(GAD). By talking openly and regularly with your doctor, you can take an active role in your care.
Here are some tips that will make it easier for you to talk to your doctor:
- Bring someone else with you. It helps to have another person hear what is said and think of questions to ask.
- Write out your questions ahead of time, so you don't forget them.
- Write down the answers you get, and make sure you understand what you are hearing. Ask for clarification, if necessary.
- Don't be afraid to ask your questions or ask where you can find more information about what you are discussing. You have a right to know.
- Tell your doctor about your constant worry and tension, or any other signs of GAD, such as aches and pains for no reason, or trouble sleeping.
- Tell your doctor if these problems keep you from doing everyday things and living your life.
- Ask for a checkup to check for other illnesses.
- Ask your doctor if he or she has helped other people with GAD. Special training helps doctors treat people with GAD. If your doctor doesn't have special training, ask for the name of a doctor or counselor who does.
- What treatment options are available for GAD?
If your doctor prescribes medicine, ask:
- How long will it take to work?
- What benefits can I expect?
- What side effects should I watch for?
- Can you recommend a counselor who treats people with GAD?
If you decide to try counseling, interview counselors and find one with whom you feel comfortable discussing your problems. You should ask the counselor about:
- His training and experience in treating anxiety disorders
- His basic approach to treatment
- The length of treatment
- The length and frequency of treatment sessions
- What health insurance is accepted
- Fee schedules and sliding scale fees to accompany various financial circumstances
Ask your doctor or counselor about lifestyle changes that could help you reduce your anxiety and stress symptoms. Examples may include:
- Caffeine and alcohol use
- Getting adequate sleep
- Relaxation and stress management techniques
- What are my chances of recovering from GAD with treatment? Without treatment?
- Will I have a recurrence of GAD and related conditions? What can I do to prevent these?
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Anxiety Disorders Association of America website. Available at:
. Accessed October 29, 2008.
Generalized anxiety disorder.
National Institute of Mental Health website. Available at:
. Update June 2008. Accessed October 29, 2008.
Hahn RK, Reist C, et al.
Psychiatry. Laguna Hills, CA: Current Clinical Strategies Publishing; 2006.
Last reviewed September 2012 by Rimas Lukas, MD
Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
Copyright © EBSCO Publishing. All rights reserved.


- Historic Sites
The Winter Soldiers,
December 1973 | Volume 25, Issue 1
That was the end of the campaigning in 1776. Washington went into winter quarters and waited for a spring that would bring new hardships. Most of his soldiers went home, to be replaced by unpromising recruits. But now, for the rest of the war, there would be among these green men a leavening of veterans who had seen Hessians surrender and British regulars run from a pitched battle and who would not forget the sight. As Ketchum writes, “The Americans’ revolution survived—survived in some mysterious way that no one could quite fathom—in no small part because of what George Washington and his soldiers achieved against all the odds that nature and a vastly superior military force could pit against them. … Because of their accomplishments, the waning days of 1776 were not the end of everything, but a new beginning.”
The Winter Soldiers is the story of the men who brought about that new beginning; it is a story that cannot be told too often and has rarely been told so well.


|Paradise in Peril: Chilkoot's Brown Bears|
by Lincoln Larson
March 10, 2004
: The Chilkoot Brown Bear Project
I uttered the habitual salutation as I began the trek down from my isolated research cabin to the banks of Southeast Alaskaís Chilkoot River. Although I saw no evidence of recent bear activity through the light of my headlamp, I had no intention of startling a 700-pound sow with cubs in the predawn of that cold, rainy September day. At 5:00 AM, I was the only human being walking along the river.
As I approached my observation post, I heard splashing nearby. Straining my eyes in the darkness, I struggled to find the source of the commotion. Through my binoculars, I could just a make out the silhouette of a subadult grizzly devouring salmon carcasses on the riverís far bank, 60 meters away. At that distance, I was in no danger. Suddenly I froze. A large, dark form shot into my field of view, no more than 10 meters away. Even in the dark, I immediately recognized the shape of a large female brown bear. As I slowly and quietly backed away, two cubs ran up the bank and onto the road where I was standing. I managed to move behind the trunk of a spruce tree. My trembling fingers clutched the cannister of bear spray fastened to my beltóa last resort in case of a grizzly charge. The bears were obviously aware of my presence, but upwind, and in the dark, they were unable to locate my exact position. After over a minute of intense sniffing and scanning, the large sow eventually decided to saunter off downriver. The cubs bounded off behind her, and I breathed a heavy sigh of relief. I had emerged unscathed and transformed after my closest grizzly encounter while working on the Chilkoot Brown Bear Project.
Chilkoot Study Area
Inquisitive Subadult Bear
: Studying the Chilkoot Bears
The Chilkoot River flows about one mile out of Chilkoot Lake and into Lutak Sound, 10 miles north of Haines, Alaska. Every year, four different species of salmon (pink, sockeye, chum and coho) return to the river to spawn. The largest run occurs in September, when over 100,000 pinks and sockeyes (see note below) enter the icy waters to breed. The abundance of salmon attracts many predators to the Chilkoot each fall, including bald eagles and grizzly bears. Hundreds of fishermen and tourists also follow the salmon upstream to capitalize on the extraordinary angling and wildlife-viewing opportunities. This unique situation, a wild Alaskan River with easy road access, raises multiple conservation issues centered on the preservation of Chilkootís grizzly bears.
Taking advantage of the ideal setting, the Brown Bear Project focuses on bear foraging ecology and habitat use patterns in relation to the riverís human activity. For two months beginning in mid-August, the research team observed and recorded bear and human behavior along the river corridor. We were stationed at designated points along the river for three-hour shifts at sunrise and sunset (mixed with the occasional midday observation). Though spectators avoided the river on cold, rainy days, adverse weather conditions did not deter the bears or the researchers. We logged many hours huddled in freezing rain, inspired by the rapture of field biology and our majestic surroundings. The observation posts were concealed and did not obstruct bear access routes to the river. As a result, both tourists and bruins were rarely aware of our presence. Using video cameras, binoculars, and tape recorders, we documented human and bear activity throughout the three-hour periods.
From August to October, we viewed 16 different bears (not counting cubs) foraging along the Chilkoot River. Each of these bears was either an adult female (some with litters of up to four cubs) or a subadult (age 2-3 years). The large males presumably stayed deeper in the mountains, farther from the threats posed by hunters and civilization.
During the project, I became very familiar with all the individual bears and their idiosyncrasies. The grizzlies displayed a variety of different fishing techniques. While many of the subadults ran, jumped, and futilely flailed at fish in the swiftly moving water, the older bears had clearly refined their skills. One mother preferred snorkeling for salmon, another opted to wait patiently before plunging on unfortunate passersby, and another had mastered a herding technique, chasing fish into pools with no outlets. The cubs enthusiastically attempted to imitate their mothersí tactics, but experienced little success. They often left the water and frolicked on the riverbanks, anxiously awaiting the delivery of their next meal.
As the season progressed, the bears began to consume fish carcasses at a higher rate. Live fish offer a richer energy content but, with hibernation looming, bears desperate to pack on the pounds seemed to prefer quantity instead of quality. Individual bears developed certain routines that made their spatial and temporal habitat use patterns very predictable. One adult female emerged from the same spot in the forest at exactly the same time (virtually down to the minute) for five consecutive days, constantly fishing the same segment of the river. With many bears in a relatively small area (up to seven bears were sometimes visible along a 100 meter stretch of river), confrontations and chases between grizzlies unwilling to share fishing spots often occurred. Sows with cubs dominated the riverís feeding hierarchy, and smaller subadults were frequently forced to retreat. All the bears faced one common obstacle, however: human disturbances.
NOTE: Fish counts are conducted at the Weir, a man-made structure composed of a series of closely-spaced bars designed to block fish movement upstream while permitting the free flow of water. A few bars are lifted several times a day, creating a small opening through which fish can pass. Fish & Game Officials count the salmon as they swim by. After spawning, the salmon die and their bodies float downstream. Bears often congregate at the Weir early in the morning to pick the fish carcasses off the bars.
Fishing Along the Chilkoot
Subadult Feeding on Carcasses
: The Impacts of Human Activity
Evidence indicates that human activity greatly influences brown bear activity. Bears were most active in the extreme early morning and late evening, corresponding to the minimum in angler and vehicle densities. Bears in more remote locations, such as Alaskaís Katmai National Park, prefer to fish during the daylight hours when live fish capture rates are much higher. The Chilkoot grizzlies, however, choose to forage in the dark to eliminate human disturbances. With humans in the vicinity, the bears experienced decreased fishing success and often resorted to eating fish carcasses while maintaining constant vigilance. In some instances, vehicle traffic along the road was so heavy that bears were denied access to the river.
Sows with cubs generally showed less tolerance for humans, possibly due to the recent shootings of several young bears that some members of the local community perceived as threats. In most cases, these cubs discovered garbage that had not been properly disposed, and they began to associate humans with food. Food-conditioned bears are reluctant to exploit the valuable salmon resource of the river, electing to scavenge trash cans and fishermenís coolers in search of an easier meal. As people from around the world flock to the Chilkoot River each fall to witness the amazing bear-feeding spectacle, the number and intensity of bear-human interactions will continue to grow. Men and bears are capable of coexistence, but the volatile situation along the Chilkoot demonstrates that proper management techniques are necessary to ensure a relationship beneficial to both species. We must give the animals some space in order to encourage and appreciate their natural behavior.
As my experience with the Chilkoot brown bears confirms, the common perception of grizzlies as menacing monsters and man-killers is completely unwarranted. While the bears certainly offer an imposing, commanding presence, they are generally benign, intelligent creatures that should be revered, not feared. The Chilkoot River System provides an excellent case study for wildlife management techniques around Alaskaís salmon streams. If we can understand the effects of human habitat use and recreation in this river ecosystem, we can begin to develop strategies for protecting bears in other areas.
Special thanks to Lori and Anthony Crupi, founder and
director of the Chilkoot Brown Bear Project.
About the author:
Lincoln Larson is a recent graduate of Duke University (Durham,
North Carolina) and an aspiring field biologist.


I love the fall and how the leaves change from deep greens to reds and orange and gold. This natural riot of color takes place wherever there are trees with leaves and there’s almost no place better to watch the leaves change than in the Northeast. This part of the four-seasoned ritual of life attracts tourists from far and wide and tugs at me to make a special trip to our home in the mountains there. And this reminds me every year about the natural changes that are a constant in our lives.
Ever wonder why and how the leaves change colors?
• As summer ends and autumn comes, the days get shorter and shorter. This is how the trees "know" to begin getting ready for winter. The trees will begin to rest and live off the food they stored during the summer. The green chlorophyll disappears from the leaves. As the bright green fades away, we begin to see yellow and orange colors. Small amounts of these colors have been in the leaves all along - we didn’t them in the summer because they were covered up by the green chlorophyll. The bright reds and purples we see in leaves are made mostly in the fall. In some trees, like maples, glucose is trapped in the leaves after photosynthesis stops. Sunlight and the cool nights of autumn cause the leaves to turn this glucose into a red color. It’s the combination of all these things that makes the beautiful fall colors we enjoy each year.
Ever hear of Thomas Cole’s The Voyage of Life series? In 1840 he did this series of paintings that represent an allegory of the four stages, or seasons, of human life:
• In childhood, the infant glides from a dark cave into a rich, green landscape.
• As a youth, the boy takes control of the boat and aims for a shining castle in the sky.
• In manhood, the adult relies on prayer and religious faith to sustain him through rough waters and a threatening landscape.
• Finally, the man becomes old and the angel guides him to heaven across the waters of eternity.
In each painting, accompanied by a guardian angel, the voyager rides the boat on the River of Life. The landscape, corresponding to the seasons of the year, plays a major role in telling the story. And in those paintings you can clearly see the leaves changing colors in the season (manhood) that represents the fall of the voyager’s life.
So what’s this mean to you and me? Things change! Always! Life is full of changes and most of us are creatures of habit. And because we don’t know what’s next, we tend to cling to what we already have and know and are comfortable with. We reminisce about and cherish the past because it’s familiar, it’s already happened and we know how the movie ends. And while that’s generally true, it’s the half of the story that we tend to recognize. The other half is that the things we learn from the past should continually be updating our knowledge of life, and how to process the new things we see and experience, and how to better understand the meaning of who and what we are – that’s the harder part of the story to accept.
With each passing season, and the changes that occur, we need to grow and become wiser. And that wisdom should create the stuff we need to constantly be better, to do the things we’re called upon to do each day better, and to help those around us to become better. But you won’t learn anything or get better if you’re not open to the changes – natural or man-made – that occur every day.
I wish you could join me here at our camp to look across the lake at the beauty that is unfolding. The scene is constant; the colors let me know that time is marching on. On the one hand I could worry that the seasons of my life are marching on, or, on the other, I could be challenged by the things I’ve learned this year that will help me to be wiser and more thoughtful in the future. One stunts natural growth; the other invigorates a sense of wonder about the world around us and the endless possibilities that potentially exist. The choice is ours. And while these leaves will begin to fade and fall soon, the inspiration that they trigger should last a lifetime. That’s the voyage of life, and I’m sure glad to be on it!
My message this week is about being inspired to dream about improving our lives:
“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” -C.S. Lewis
Clive Staples Lewis (1898 – 1963), commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis and known to his friends and family as "Jack", was a British novelist, academic, medievalist, literary critic, essayist, lay theologian and Christian apologist from Ireland.
Got any new dreams today? Not the ones you try to remember and think about when you wake, but the kind that have you excited to try something really new. Everyone can dream, but not everyone has the curiosity, energy, courage and stamina to try to attempt and achieve their dreams. Most want things to be smooth and easy, with no surprises or challenges that can potentially make you look silly. Fact is, without those challenges or knowing how to recover from looking silly you’ll never get to experience what it is to learn from trying something new. You can tell the ones who are into this – the twinkle in their eye, the bounce in their step, the way they carry themselves. If that’s you, and you’ll know if it is, then set another goal today, dream another dream today and make a pledge to be creative and innovative today. Go ahead – you’re never too old!
Friday, September 30, 2011
at 5:24 AM
Friday, September 23, 2011
“Everyone wants to be true to something, and we’re true to you” - that’s the marketing tagline for Jet Blue’s travel rewards program. I know because it kept scrolling across the little screen on the back of the seat in front of me when I recently flew across country. It’s okay in the context of what they’re trying to promote, but it also might apply to more than just loyalty programs. And it may be that because people naturally want to be ‘true blue’ to so many things, it becomes overused and almost trite. That’s too bad. Because being ‘true blue’ can be a good thing.
First: ever wonder where the term ‘true blue’ comes from?
• Loyal and unwavering in one's opinions or support for a cause or product.
• 'True blue' is supposed to derive from the blue cloth that was made at Coventry, England in the late middle-ages. The town's dyers had a reputation for producing material that didn't fade with washing, i.e. it remained 'fast' or 'true'. The phrase 'as true as Coventry blue' originated then and is still used (in Coventry at least).
• True Blue is an old naval/sailing term meaning honest and loyal to a unit or cause.
• And dictionaries say that true blue refers to “people of inflexible integrity or fidelity”.
And second: does ‘true blue’ really mean anything in this era of fast food and slick advertising?
There are lots of loyalty programs – hotels, airlines, slot clubs, retail stores, pop food brands, credit cards, clothing, wine, restaurants, movie theaters, travel sites, theme parks, computer games and countless more – and they all try to get you to stick with them by rewarding you in all kinds of ways: points, miles, free gifts, shows, food and on and on. But it seems a bit contrived, as if there’s some Oz-like character behind a curtain trying to entice you with these awards (read: bribes).
Imagine if this kind of thing were done with going to school or work, singing in a choir, participating in some community event, volunteering your time to some worthy cause, remaining friends or staying in a relationship… doesn’t seem as appropriate in those, does it? Think of someone or something you really like: do you really and truly like them or it, or do you need to be bribed with rewards to feel that way. Of course you don’t. So why do the airlines and hotels and all those other things we purchase have to bribe us like them?
But – there are companies out there that do understand what it takes to win your loyalty:
• Southwest Airlines was one of the first companies that made having fun and using common sense part of their strategy for success. Singing the safety jingle, devising a different boarding routine and setting the record for on-time departures set them apart and won over customers. They got it!
• Zappos doesn’t give you anything extra to make you want to come back – they believe that great service plus free shipping and returns will do that. Everyone said that nobody would buy shoes online – wrong. Zappos gets it!
• Apple wins and keeps their customer’s loyalty by incubating and introducing cool new ideas and products all the time. And they’re just about the biggest and most successful and most admired company on the planet. They get it!
But for every Southwest Airlines-type great experience there are hundreds of others that under perform and underwhelm. So they sign you up and hope that rewarding your loyalty overcomes the other things they do that destroys your loyalty. Seems to me they just don’t get it?
Jet Blue says they give you more leg room – that’s true if you pay extra for those few rows that have it. How come they just don’t make eye contact and smile more? How come they can’t get the bags to the conveyor in less than 30 minutes (which may not seem like much to them but after a cross country flight an extra 30 minutes is painful). How come they don’t get it? I want to join their loyalty program so I can get another trip with them like I want to have my teeth drilled. And then they spend so much time and energy trying to give you that free round trip ticket if you apply for their credit card – you know, the one that has annual fees and high interest rates. How come they don’t get it? Why can’t they just treat me like a loyal and valued customer, like someone they genuinely like and appreciate, like they’d like to be treated if they had to fly on someone else’s airline. Seems to me they just don’t get it.
Most of the good things in life are rooted in quality, trust and respect. People you work with and for, family that you live with and love, things you do for fun and relaxation, games you gladly play with others, friendships you’re lucky enough to have, clubs you join and actively participate in, activities you sign up for – they’re all based on the simple premise that things that are good are that way because they are genuinely good and fun and worthwhile. And that’s why you stick with them loyally.
But all these other kinds of loyalty programs are contrived. And yet we sign up for them like they’re free and worthwhile. They’re not free – we pay for the increased costs of these rewards. And they’re not worthwhile - we’re treated poorly by those who have the attitude that the cheap rewards they give are enough to overcome the thoughtless and robotic service they go through the motions of providing. Next time someone asks if I’ve signed up for their loyalty program I’m going to give them a tip: treat me nicely, treat me fairly, treat me respectfully, act like you really do care, thank me like you really mean it and treat me like you really do want me as a customer – and I’ll come back as often as I can or need to, willingly and freely. When are all these marketing geniuses going to wake up? When are they going to be ‘true blue’ to the Golden Rule?
My message this week is about how excellence can lead to greatness:
”If you want to achieve excellence, you can get there today. As of this second, quit doing less-than-excellent work.” -Thomas J. Watson
Thomas John Watson, Sr. (1874 – 1956) was president of International Business Machines (IBM) and oversaw that company's growth into a global force from 1914 to 1956. Watson developed IBM's distinctive management style and corporate culture, and turned the company into a highly-effective selling organization. He was called the world's greatest salesman.
Do you want to achieve excellence? Some people don’t – they’re content to work alongside others, doing just enough to get by and satisfy their basic needs, content to have a few toys, take life easy and not make waves. But is that what you want – would that be enough for you? If not, then you’ve got to decide right now to start going farther, looking to help others, caring more, trying harder, and being more of what you can be today. You’ve got to take it to the next level – in commitment, in energy, in enthusiasm, in being a role model, in paying closer attention to details, in always striving to do and be all that you’re capable of. As of this second, you’ve got to quit doing less-than-excellent work. That’s how YOU can achieve excellence - (note: the emphasis is on YOU)!
at 5:34 AM
Friday, September 16, 2011
Where were you on 9/11? For most of us the answers are permanently etched in our minds. Like the attack on Pearl Harbor and VE Day for our parents, or the moment John Kennedy was shot or Armstrong set foot on the moon for the baby boomers, 9/11 has become one of the iconic moments in time for all who were alive then.
I remember exactly where I was, what I was doing, who told me and how I felt the day Kennedy was killed; and like most people I was watching on our little black and white TV when Ruby shot Oswald the next day. I remember my teacher bringing me into the assembly hall to watch when Armstrong took “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”. There have been literally trillions of moments in my life, but these iconic ones stand out, frozen in time and in my mind. And then there was 9/11.
In these weekly blogs I try to write about things that catch my attention. These stories tend to take on meanings beyond the specific incidents I mention, meanings that relate to life’s larger issues and that can possibly teach us something. But this one goes way beyond any of the moments and incidents that caught my attention - 9/11 caught the attention of everyone on the planet. There aren’t many things that reach that level, things that stop time, that leave indelible memories about where we were and who we were with, that immediately bring back visceral feelings and emotions of a long ago but clearly remembered moment in time. 9/11 does all of those things and more.
My wife and I were in NYC: preparing to get on the George Washington Bridge to go into Manhattan when the first plane hit; coming to a complete stop on the road and in our lives; watching in fear and confusion as the second plane hit; staring in horror as first one and then the other building fell; hearing about the other plane crashes in Washington and Pennsylvania; staying glued to the radio and then the television while the world stood still.
We drove away from the City that day in fear and confusion – trying to get as far away as possible and to make sense of how and why this happened. As we drove we came upon a rise in the road where all the cars were stopped; people were standing beside their cars and looking back in the direction we came from, so we stopped too. In the distance there was smoke where the towers so recently stood; nobody was talking; everyone was crying. We eventually made it to our home in the Adirondack Mountains, safe and overwhelmed by the fear and confusion that enveloped the world as we knew it. I can see and feel that day now as if were yesterday. I guess that’s what an iconic moment is: something we remember – clearly and forever.
And now, in what seems like no time at all, ten years have passed and the memorial to those killed has been unveiled. The reading of the names this past Sunday stopped and stunned us all over again. The tolling of the bells in New York, Washington and Shanksville brought us back to that moment in time. The sight of the grieving families and friends as they touched and etched the names of their fathers, brothers, mothers, sisters, relatives and friends brought us together now as we were back then. The pettiness and partisanship that dominates the news was pushed aside for just a moment as we all stood in solemn and shared tribute to something that transcended all the comparatively meaningless stuff that normally seeks to grab our attention. As sad as the memories are, the togetherness helps us get through the memories now like it did when this terrible tragedy first happened. Why can’t we make that feeling last?
A man named Al DiLascia from Chicopee, Mass. wrote a letter to the editor of the New York Times this week that summed this up:
For one brief moment on September 11, 2011, time seemed to stand still. People sought family members and recognized the importance of family. Acts of charity were plentiful. There was an assessment of life and what is really important. Places of worship were full. People unashamedly prayed. For one brief moment...
Let’s try to remember – not just the events that make up these iconic moments, but what they really mean, and what’s really important. Don’t let a day pass that you don’t tell those you love how much you care and to show it in thoughtful and meaningful ways, to touch the people and things that are most important to you, to reach out and give to those in need, and to quietly count and give thanks for all the blessings that are in your life. Do whatever you have to do to make the meaning of your iconic moments last!
My message this week is about being loyal to the people and things that are important in your life:
“Loyalty is something you give regardless of what you get back, and in giving loyalty, you're getting more loyalty; and out of loyalty flow other great qualities.”
Colonel Charles Edward ("Chuck") Jones (1952 – 2001) was a United States Air Force officer, a computer programmer, and an astronaut in the USAF Manned Spaceflight Engineer Program. He was killed in the attacks of September 11, 2001 aboard American Airlines Flight 11, the first plane to hit the first World Trade Center building at 8:46am.
All of the great values we read and write about seem to be interconnected, and loyalty may be the one at the hub of them all. Think of the people and things you’re loyal to, and then note the other great qualities that come from that loyalty. Friendship, success, pride, humility, professionalism, integrity, team spirit and passion are a few that immediately come to mind. These are the qualities and values that you hope to find in others, and certainly they’re the ones to which you should always aspire. But to get loyalty you need to give it, and that means you must be true to your work and family and friends, forgiving in your nature, humble in your approach to others, sincere in your dealings with all, and understanding in the complex and competitive world that we live in. Look for ways to give loyalty today without attaching any strings for reciprocity. And don’t be surprised if you then start to get loyalty and all the other great qualities flowing back to you in return.
Stay well. And please say a prayer for these heroes and all the others in your life who’ve passed.
at 6:20 AM
Friday, September 9, 2011
Vacation homes in the Adirondacks are commonly referred to as camps – my family is fortunate to have one and, as you know from some of my previous blogs, we’ve spent a lot of time there this year. These are not to be confused with day and overnight camps that parents send their kids to. This is about the second kind of camp.
I went to an overnight camp as a kid and loved it, but that’s a story for another time. This tale begins at Camp Nazareth (that’s the name of the overnight camp at the end of our lake). Its run by the local Catholic Diocese which has had little success in recent years attracting enough kids. More often than not, this wonderful facility – it can hold up to 300 kids at any one time - is terribly under used. Fortunately, it seems that they’ve now discovered ways to attract alternate users like family reunions, corporate retreats and, just this past week, a high school crew team (Google “rowing sport” to learn more about this sport on Wikipedia). And that crew team caught our attention.
Our family’s camp (we call it “The Point”) is on the water and we can easily see when anyone is on the lake. While sitting on our dock one morning we were surprised to see this crew team go by. If you’ve never seen a crew team before, they operate in long narrow boats (like large kayaks) that are referred to as “sculls” – these are two to eight-person boats that are rowed by that many team members, each of whom operates one oar. In this case, there were two eight-person sculls (one with all men and the other all women) that were practicing. Mind you, this is not an everyday sight – there are a few motorboats and a lot of canoes and kayaks on our lake, so the sight of these two sculls was a bit of a surprise. Alongside these two sculls was a small motorboat in which sat the coach who had a megaphone and was giving instructions and commands. On the first day of what appeared to be one of their initial practice sessions, these two sculls were having what was obviously some beginner’s training. And here’s another key bit of information: the team has to row in very close order for the boat to move along smoothly. If any of the rowers is out of synch (even a little) the boat can very easily (and visibly) miss a beat. And if any of those misses are overly pronounced the boats can stop altogether or even capsize. So at the beginning of this training the coach definitely wanted to take it slow.
As the week progressed, however, the boats began to move more smoothly, and over time they got smoother and faster. And since the object of crew is to beat the competition, smooth and fast is definitely better. In order to get smoother and faster, the individual team members all have to practice at learning not only how to improve their own skills but also how to be in better synch with all the other members of their team. In crew, as in so many other aspects of life, both are critical (as in one without the other is not worth much).
As we watched this unfold before us, we started to reflect on how the basic lessons being learned out on the lake apply to just about everything we do in life (and here I need to confess that my wife realized this before I did). Being effective and functional at anything – playing with friends on the school yard, getting along as a family, working with colleagues, participating on a sports team, singing in a choir, building something with others, participating in community events – really is about learning how to improve your own skills while also performing in concert with others. Learning anything alone is one thing, learning it together and then interacting with others is a whole different thing. The key to life is learning both, because one without the other is really not worth much. And here was a live metaphor for this right on the lake in front of us – and just like that my whole professional life flashed before me as I watched this training unfold.
Each of these young athletes was working hard to learn how to be the best they could be, they and their team mates were learning how to interact with each other more effectively, the coaches were seeing the results of their hard work and practice, and those of us on the sidelines were rewarded by seeing how things can and should work when effective instructions, practice and coaching all come together. We don’t often get to see things so clearly, or watch how the rituals of cause and effect play out so clearly. Simply put: this was a real lesson about life. And, in part because of where we were, and also because of what we saw and then realized, we were again moved to exclaim “that’s the Point!
My message this week is about finding things you can be passionate about, because they define who and what you are.
“I know that I have found fulfillment. I have an object in life, a task ... a passion.”
Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin, later Baroness Dudevant (1804 – 1876), best known by her pseudonym George Sand, was a French novelist and memoirist.
Have you found fulfillment? Not just a momentary or fleeting sense of accomplishment, but a lasting and on-going feeling that “this is it”. We all do lots of little and mostly disconnected things – chores, work, hobbies – and these achieve short-term goals or complete individual assignments. But every now and then one big thing comes along that is more about defining our style or purpose, and these make us who and what we are. Now it could be a car or a job – those certainly say a lot about you. But to find fulfillment – to know that something is really about the “you” that is truly you – that’s a real find. And that’s the kind of thing that passion is truly built upon. Something you love deeply, that you can’t stop thinking about, that you can’t wait to get up and do each day, and that you truly care more about than almost anything else. That’s the kind of passion that is truly a treasure – and that’s the kind of object in life that you want to be on the lookout for – today and every day. That’s the Point!
at 5:14 AM
Friday, September 2, 2011
Last week was something else – an earthquake and a hurricane and tornados and sunshine and hot and cold… I'm having trouble remembering where I am.
I grew up in upstate New York and experienced four distinct seasons each year – but there were no earthquakes or tornados. I later moved to Nevada for nearly a quarter century and experienced dry heat – but there were never any hurricanes or tornados. I then moved to the beaches of California where the sun shines 300+ days a year, the temperature rarely gets above 75 and earthquakes and wild fires are a nuisance – but there are no tornados or hurricanes. And now I’m back in New York (city and upstate) and just about everything but wild fires have hit here in the past 8 months. What’s going on?
I didn’t own a winter coat – and the record snow falls and cold last winter drove me to Land’s End with a singleness of purpose. I didn’t own boots or an umbrella, and the wet snow and rains taught me a lot about what it means to stay dry. I’m used to driving wherever I want to go and not having a car here to help navigate through the varying weather patterns has made me a fan of the Weather Channel. I never thought about the weather, never worried about what I’d wear or looked at the skies for clues to what’s coming, and now that the weather changes in the blink of an eye I am obsessed with meteorology.
But last week, depending where you were in the path of all this weather, meteorologists either got it right, mostly right, or wrong. Hey – they’re human so maybe we shouldn’t hold them to such a high standard as always being right. I mean, is anybody always right? Maybe we should take what they say and apply some old fashioned lore to this inexact science – such as:
Red sky at night, sailor's delight,
Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning.
When the wind is blowing in the North
No fisherman should set forth,
When the wind is blowing in the East,
'Tis not fit for man nor beast,
When the wind is blowing in the South
It brings the food over the fish's mouth,
When the wind is blowing in the West,
That is when the fishing's best!
When halo rings the moon or sun, rain's approaching on the run.
When windows won't open, and the salt clogs the shaker,
The weather will favor the umbrella maker!
No weather is ill, if the wind be still.
When sounds travel far and wide,
A stormy day will betide.
If clouds move against the wind, rain will follow.
A coming storm your shooting corns presage,
And aches will throb, your hollow tooth will rage.
I wouldn’t normally be thinking about these things, but all this crazy weather has me spooked. Is it global warming or just the fact that weather seems unpredictable? Were the winters way more intense when we were kids, or did it just seem that way because we were kids? Can weather really be predicted correctly all the time by these meteorologists, or should we take what they say with a “grain of salt”? Or should we rely more on our own common sense as aided by some of these old fashioned sayings?
Here in New York last week the mayor and the meteorologists got it wrong – but not by much. The winds blew and the rains fell and, though there was less flooding and damage than predicted here, they made damn sure we were prepared by scaring the daylights out of us with their dire warnings. Now some people are complaining because they scared us; but those same people complained when they didn’t scare us before last winter’s massive snow storm, or that they didn’t scare others enough before Katrina.
Fact is, lots of people are never happy, especially if they’re inconvenienced. But potentially saving lives is better than trying to apologize for not saving lives: isn’t that what ‘better safe than sorry’ is all about? Maybe we expect too much from the elected officials who we don’t really like or trust anyways (especially when they are inconveniencing us). I guess they’re damned if they do and damned if they don’t. I’ve even read some editorials about how this should make us either for or against big government. Come on, it was just a storm. And even though lots of people got flooded out, and there was lots of damage to homes and fields and trees and power lines, and lots of high water and wind, I’m relieved because it was less than predicted here on my street. I’m really sad for those to whom it was as much or more than predicted. And even though I don’t blame anyone, I sure as hell would like to know what all this crazy weather means, and whether a red sky at night really does mean a sailor’s delight?
My message this week is about loyalty, and whether we need to think about how loyal we are to others and how loyal we need to be to ourselves:
“Loyalty to petrified opinion never yet broke a chain or freed a human soul.” -Mark Twain
Mark Twain achieved great success as a writer and public speaker. His wit and satire earned praise from critics and peers, and he was a friend to presidents, artists, industrialists, and European royalty.
Loyalty can be both good and bad. People often remain loyal long after the reason for doing so has ended. If the reason you became loyal has petrified then you need to re-examine your motives and goals; you need to break free when the times demand it and it’s the right thing to do. Loyalty should be given to the best ideas, the highest principles, the most ethical leaders, the greatest challenges, and to the most extraordinary opportunities. But sometimes we remain loyal just because we are afraid to appear disloyal or we’re afraid to re-examine that loyalty. This conflict can be a Catch 22, or it can be a moment of re-commitment and rebirth. And just like a plant that’s been sitting for a long time, it’s a good idea to re-pot our beliefs to make sure that our roots continue to grow deeper and stronger. So look at your loyalties today and make sure they’re where they should be.
Stay warm, dry and well!
at 5:36 AM


The founders explicitly rejected direct democracy — in which citizens vote on every issue — in favor of representative democracy. The idea was that legislators would convene at a safe remove from voters and, thus insulated from the din of narrow interests and widespread but ephemeral passions, do what was in the long-term interest of their constituents and of the nation. Now information technology has stripped away the insulation that physical distance provided back when information couldn’t travel faster than a horse.Yes, one wonders what the Framers might have thought of free speech.
February 3, 2010
Says Robert Wright:


In Think: The Life of the Mind and the Love of God John piper shows us the intricate continuity between the Christian faith and intellectual development. Focusing on the life of the mind helps us to know God better, love him more, and care for the world around us in thoughtful ways.
While we must value the experiential an emotional elements of our faith, the intellectual aspects are far too often neglected and as Piper says in this book, we also need to practice careful thinking about God. Piper contends that "thinking is indispensable on the path to passion for God." So how are we to maintain a healthy balance of mind and heart, thinking and feeling?
Piper urges us to think for the glory of God. He demonstrates from Scripture that glorifying God with our minds and hearts is not either-or, but both-and. Thinking carefully about God fuels passion and affections for God. Likewise, Christ-exalting emotion leads to disciplined thinking.


Christine Duncan, MD
Sickle cell disease (SCD) affects as many as 100,000 Americans, and a comprehensive understanding of SCD is essential for pediatric and adult hematologists. This common disease will be explored in depth in an Education Program Session today at 7:30 a.m. and again at 2:00 p.m. in rooms 393-396 of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. The session is designed for all hematologists who treat patients with sickle cell syndromes, including general adult and pediatric hematologists and those who practice in tertiary care centers.
Gene therapy offers promise as a curative therapy for SCD but is not yet a reality. Stem cell transplantation has successfully cured many severely affected patients, but it is limited by the availability of donors and by transplant-related toxicity. As a result, we are still searching for effective and tolerable alternative therapies for this common disease.
In today’s session, Drs. Kenneth Ataga of the University of North Carolina and Russell Ware of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital will review existing and innovative therapies for SCD.
Dr. Ataga will describe treatments aimed at decreasing sickle hemoglobin polymerization directly, and therapies that target aspects of sickle cell pathobiology other than hemoglobin (e.g., vascular adhesion or cellular hydration).
Dr. Ware will then examine the use of hydroxyurea in SCD, a treatment widely used by clinicians since landmark clinical trial results were reported in the 1990s. While hydroxyurea cannot be considered a novel therapy, it is receiving increased attention, and there is renewed enthusiasm for the drug. The 2008 NIH consensus statement regarding the use of hydroxyurea in patients with SCD cites strong evidence for the efficacy of the drug in adult patients and compelling data for its use in children.
The NIH consensus statement that examined the use of hydroxyurea also addressed the need for patients with SCD to have a primary health care provider. The statement suggests that providers either specialize in the care of patients with SCD or maintain contact with a hematologist with expertise in SCD. This recommendation highlights the often overlapping arenas of SCD management and primary care, which Dr. Joshua Field from Washington University, St. Louis, will emphasize in his discussion of two commonly co-exisiting conditions that have complex interactions: SCD and asthma. As Dr. Field explains, "We do not fully understand if these are two separate disease processes or if the asthma is a manifestation of sickle cell disease. The diagnosis and treatment of patients with sickle cell and airway disease is not straightforward. The same rules used to diagnose a patient with asthma in the general population may not apply to a child with sickle cell disease. Sickle cell comorbidities may make it harder to diagnose and to treat a patient with asthma and SCD."
Dr. Duncan indicated no relevant conflicts of interest.
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Art. XXIX.—The Older Gravels of North Canterbury.
[Read before the New Zealand Institute, at Christchurch, 4th—8th February, 1919; received by Editor, 24th February, 1919; issued separately, 16th July, 1919.]
|General Description of the District where the Beds are best developed||269|
|Description of Typical Localities||270|
|Grey River, East Branch||270|
|Grey River, West Branch||273|
|Okuku River and Mairaki Downs||274|
|Kowai River, North Branch||274|
|Kowai River, South Branch||274|
|Lower Warpara Gorge||278|
|Other Canterbury Localities||279|
|General Conclusions as to the Origin and Age of the Beds, and Relation to the Gravels of the Canterbury Plains||280|
Widely distributed along the base of the Southern Alps lies a series of unfossiliferous sedimentary beds, consisting for the most part of well-stratified gravels, sands, and clays, with occasional lignite, whose position has hitherto been somewhat doubtful. Haast (1879, p. 316, and map, p. 370) included them in his Pareora formation, and mentioned the occurrence of lignite-beds (p. 318) in the “Moeraki” Downs, at the mouth of the Waipara River, and in the Broken River basin, but hardly mentions the locality where they attain their maximum development—viz., the Mount Grey Downs and the vicinity of the two branches of the Kowai River. Hutton (1885, p. 211) considered them as equivalent to the Wanganui system of the North Island, but remarked that they were difficult to distinguish from the upper gravels of the Pareora system. Park (1910, p. 252) considered them older fluvio-glacial drifts. Thomson (1917, p. 411) refers to them more fully, but is extremely doubtful whether they shall be assigned to his Notocene or Notopleistocene set of deposits.
Owing to the practical absence of fossils it is difficult to determine their position accurately, but they nevertheless represent an interesting series, and the following account is intended to bring out their chief features. In addition to the difficulty noted by Hutton, there is the additional one that in their lithological content as well as to some extent the conditions under which they were laid down they resemble the beds that overlie them, and this makes it at times impossible to separate them from subsequent gravel and sandy beds.
General Description of the District Where the Beds Are Best Developed.
The chief area where they are developed lies to the south-east and south of Mount Grey, between the Waipara and Okuku Rivers, but they attain their greatest development in the basins of the Southern Kowai and the Grey Rivers. Important outliers also occur to the west of the Okuku, on
the lower slopes of Mount Thomas, and south of the Ashley River, where they form the Mairaki Downs (= Moeraki Downs of Haast). The beds form a kind of frontal apron to the higher greywacke hills, such as Mount Grey and Mount Karetu; but still they rise in places to well over 1,000 ft. above sea-level. The downs country has been dissected to some extent, and on the front facing south-east consequent streams have cut deep narrow channels, with high precipitous banks, whereas in the north-eastern portion the tributaries forming the Northern Kowai tend to develop valleys along the strike. The same is also true of the east branch of the Grey. The character of the drainage points to recent and rapid uplift, perhaps in agreement with that of which there is distinct evidence on the coast farther north (McKay, 1877, p. 177; Hutton, 1877, p. 55; Speight, 1918, p. 99). On the sides of the steep banks, especially those running with the dip, numerous good sections are exposed; and it will be best at this stage to give a more detailed description of typical sections, preferably those illustrating the relationship between the underlying Tertiary beds and the overlying gravels. Although the beds are typically developed in the basin of the Kowai River, and I have selected the name of that locality as the one most appropriate to designate the series, yet the most instructive sections are to be seen in the basin of the Grey River, and these will therefore be taken first.
Descriptions of Typical Localities.
Grey River, East Branch.
The eastern or chief branch of the Grey River rises in the country between Mounts Grey and Karetu, flows south therefrom in a deep wooded gorge, and then gradually turns to the south-west and follows along the north-western edge of the Mount Grey Downs till it enters on the plains and joins the Okuku River in the neighbourhood of White Rock Station. The first part of its course has been cut in greywacke, but on leaving the higher country it crosses the marginal fringe of Tertiary sedimentaries at an angle of about 45° with their strike, so that when the stream runs in the direction of the dip the cross-section of its channel is narrow and trench-like, but when it runs along the strike the valley opens out somewhat, with dip slopes bordering the stream on its north-western side and steep scarp slopes on its south-eastern side. The latter are in places very bold and precipitous, and show clear-cut sections. Especially is this the case at the Horseshoe Cliff, about a mile below the gorge, where the north-western slope of the downs has been scored by a deep washout, and the strata are clearly exposed for 500 ft.
In the lower part of the river-gorge there is a most interesting occurrence of the lower members of the Cretaceo-Tertiary series, analogous to that seen in the Waipara and Weka Pass sections. These beds when followed along the strike run in the direction of the greywacke mass of Mount Grey; and unless they turn round on approaching it, as they do on the north-east slope of the mountain, the junction between the two sets of beds will in all probability be a fault contact. To the west of the gorge, however, the junction between the two sets of beds is a normal unconformity.
The following is a description of the beds here exposed, the sequence being in ascending order:—
Greyish sands and sandy shales, glauconitic, concretionary in places, and stained with sulphur; succeeded by light-coloured argillaceous and slightly glauconitic sands—all striking north-east and dipping south-east at 45°.
Greenish glauconitic sand passing up into glauconitic limestone, the glauconitic material being disposed in irregular patches and lenses, giving the rock a somewhat streaky appearance; it is also full of worm-borings filled with glauconitic material. This passes up into
Amuri limestone, 25 ft. thick, with less glauconite than 2. The passage beds between this and the lower bed consist of fragments of Amuri limestone in a greensand matrix, the limestone finally taking on the facies of the typical Amuri stone, being white and jointed into quadrangular blocks. The strike is as before, but the dip is less, being about 30°.
Glauconitic limestone, 20 ft. thick, comparable with the Weka Pass stone as it approaches a shore-line (Speight and Wild, 1918, p. 77), but passing up into a more sandy facies.
Marl, slightly sandy, with concretionary layers and rounded concretions. This is the stratigraphical equivalent of the “grey marl” in the Weka Pass district. It has the same strike and dip as the limestone, and its thickness is about 70 ft.
Thus far the sequence is quite clear and conformable, but for a time the exposures are obscured and the relations to the underlying beds are not plain.
Just below the gorge there is a well-marked bed, striking north-north-east, with slightly flatter dip than the limestone, and containing numerous specimens of Ostrea ingens. Farther down-stream, but higher in the series, is a sandy conglomerate followed by sands with broken shells. These pass up into sands with a layer of oyster and other shell fragments, and then follow the beds of the Kowai series.
These are first exposed at the mouth of the gorge, just above the site of the old sawmill. They consist of sands and sandy gravels containing shell-fragments and showing intraformational unconformities, but no clear evidence, given by sections, of an unconformity between the Kowai series and the lower Tertiaries. Almost everywhere in the case of gravels resting on sands or other finer detrital beds the upper surface of the latter has suffered some erosion, but in no case in this branch of the Grey does this, in my opinion, amount to sufficient to be considered a major unconformity.
On the next bluff down-stream, and higher in the sequence, the beds exposed consist of greenish-grey sands (weathering light-brown) and sandy gravels, with sandy carbonaceous shales and impure lignite. These are capped unconformably by terrace-gravels belonging to the early history of the Grey River. This sequence is repeated on the next bluff, but the gravel beds of the Kowai series become more important, one very heavy band of gravel near the top of the cliff being divided into two parts by a layer of carbonaceous shale. In the bed of the river, at the base of this cliff, is a section which shows an unconformable junction between a greenish sand and an overlying bed of gravel. After a careful consideration of the circumstances of this case I have come to the conclusion that it must be considered only as an intraformational unconformity, due to the erosion of the bed of sand by marine currents in the interval between its deposition and that of the succeeding layer of gravel.
These beds strike north-east, and dip south-east at an angle of 20°.
As the sections are followed down-stream their character does not change except that the gravels become increasingly important, a feature that is well exemplified at the Horseshoe Cliff, on the face of which gravels greatly predominate, some layers being from 50 ft. to 70 ft. in thickness. Well-defined sandy layers also occur. The regular stratification of the beds
towards the base of the cliff points to their having been deposited in shallow water in close proximity to a shore-line, and not on a land-surface; but at the higher levels the stratification becomes more indistinct and the pebbles become coarser and more subangular in shape, so it is almost certain that the closing beds of the series were laid down on a land-surface. The presence of lignite in the lower beds clearly indicates estuarine or deltaic conditions.
It should be noted that on the high banks of the Grey River there is a still more recent series of gravels belonging to the history of the stream. They are similar in lithological features to the gravels of the Kowai series, but they are neither so well stratified nor so well cemented. They are undoubtedly river and not sea deposits. Where contacts can be seen they are easily differentiated, but elsewhere, especially on the lower slopes of the downs, it is difficult to separate them from the upper members of the lower set of beds, which were also laid down on a land-surface.
Grey River, West Branch.
The general stratigraphy of the beds in the basin of the western branch of the Grey River is similar to that in the eastern. The following is a general description of the strata exposed above the greywacke as disclosed on the sides of the gorge of the stream:—
Sands and greensands.
Limestone, full of bryozoan remains, but only a few feet thick in the gorge of the stream, thickening, however, to the east and to the west. There is a marked difference in the features of this limestone as compared with that in the eastern branch, and as they are in apparent continuity it might be assumed that the stone in the western branch represents a shallower-water facies. I am by no means certain that this is the true explanation, and the question of the identity as regards their stratigraphical position must be reserved for further investigation.
Marls, greenish in colour, with rounded concretions and concretionary bands, passing up into greyish sands with fragmentary fossil shells.
In the river these beds strike E. 25° S. and dip south at an angle of 30°, but they have suffered some deformation, and the strike changes to north-east on the ridge between the two branches of the Grey, and also as the beds are traced round to White Rock and the Okuku River. The upper surface of the sands was distinctly eroded before the next bed was laid down. This consists of a heavy band of cemented gravel. The following beds are then encountered, in ascending order:—
Gravel bed just referred to.
Sandy clays and gravels.
Sandy clay and carbonaceous shale, repeatedly alternating. One bed of shale is from 12 in. to 18 in. thick.
Sandy gravel, well cemented with iron oxide.
Greenish-grey sands, sandy shales, and gravels, rapidly alternating, totalling over 200 ft. in thickness, the strike gradually becoming east-north-east, and the dip flattening out from 30° to 10°.
Gravels, sandy and with occasional thin layers of sandy clay, lying flat or with slight dip to the south-east. These are at least 500 ft. thick, and are well exposed on the ridge between the western Grey and the stream near the White Rock Station.
The section in this river thus shows that there is a distinct series in which gravels are the dominant beds lying unconformably on marine Tertiaries. It should be noted that in the western branch there are no gravel beds below the unconformity. Either they have never been deposited or they have been removed by erosion. There is a strong suggestion from the eastern branch that gravel beds are present among the higher members of the underlying marine series, so that their presence cannot be taken as decided evidence that beds containing gravels in this locality necessarily belong to the Kowai series.
Okuku River and Mairaki Downs.
Similar gravels occur on the banks of the Okuku, especially on the western side, where they form low hills fringing the base of Mount Thomas, and stretching westward towards the Garry River and Glentui. Towards the Ashley they are masked by more-recent gravels, but they reappear on the south bank of the river, forming the Mairaki Downs. The strata here consist of thick sandy gravels, sandy clays, and occasional layers of carbonaceous shale. Opposite the mouth of the Garry they strike north-east and dip north-west at an angle of 20°, forming the south-eastern wing of a syncline which is developed farther west, while farther east, towards Rangiora, the structure is anticlinal. The country directly between the Mairaki and Mount Grey Downs is probably a syncline, but the surface is completely masked by recent gravels and clays belonging to the Ashley and Okuku Rivers and to the lower course of the Grey and Makerikeri Rivers, the latter draining a considerable area on the south-western flank of the Mount Grey Downs.
Kowai River, North Branch.
An excellent idea of the structure and general features of the northern part of the downs area can be obtained by examination of the high banks of the North Kowai, and especially of a tributary which rises in Mount Brown itself and flows in a south-easterly direction across the strike of the beds, thus exposing all the members of the series present in this locality. The following is a general description of the beds encountered, starting with the Mount Brown beds and following up to the highest members of the series:—
At the contact with the upper members of the Mount Brown series the latter consist of sands, and marine gravels with shells, striking north-east and dipping south-east at an angle of 10°. The Mount Brown beds are here capped unconformably with sandy gravels containing rounded and sub-angular greywacke pebbles, and belonging in all probability to the high-level terrace-gravels of the present Kowai River. Lower down sands, sandy clays, and sandy gravels dipping south-east at very low angles are exposed on the banks of the stream and in the deep gullies on the northern side. There is certainly a disagreement in dip between these beds and the underlying Mount Brown beds, suggesting an unconformity, but nowhere could I see an actual contact in order to determine this point precisely. The slight escarpment of the downs which faces Mount Brown at this point is determined by the presence of the gravel beds which occur at this horizon. It is noteworthy that there is an entire absence of the gravel beds with broken-shell layers which cover the Mount Brown beds in the vicinity of Weka Pass, a point which increases the probability that the beds forming the downs rest on the Mount Brown beds unconformably.
Farther down-stream the beds lie almost flat, with an east-south-east strike and a dip to the north-north-east at very low angles (less than 5°). On a high bluff a series of well-stratified sands and sandy gravels is exposed. Near the base of the cliff, under a sandy bed cemented in its lower part with iron oxide, lies a narrow band of sandy carbonaceous shale, 6 in. to 8 in. thick, containing pieces of lignified wood, and passing down into sandy clay with interstratified irregular lenses of lignite. Under these lie sands and sandy gravels, and then bluish-green and brown sands. A little below this the strike swings round to north-north-east, with an easterly dip, and in a narrow gully on the south side of the stream an interesting section is exposed. Here both the bluish-green sands and the sandy gravels have been eroded, and on the eroded surface have been deposited sands and sandy gravels containing fragments of the lower beds. A similar occurrence is to be observed on the face of a cliff in the main stream, the lower beds dipping 10° and the upper lying flat across them. A thin layer of broken-shell fragments was observed high up on the face of the cliff in an inaccessible position.
Higher in the series are rapidly alternating sands and fine sandy gravels, in layers down to 1 in. in thickness, and these are succeeded by sands, sandy-gravel beds, and bluish-grey and brown sands, the former with broken-shell layers. In the gravels are numerous fragments of limestone, which must have been derived from a surface of the Amuri limestone exposed to decided erosion. The fragments are generally less than 2 in. in length, but are sometimes longer, and are usually flattened like beach shingle. There is no doubt as to the interstratification of these beds in the series under consideration, as the same feature was observed in a deep gully to the north of the stream in its proper stratigraphical position. The presence of these fragments is positive proof of the presence of an unconformity between these beds and the Amuri limestone, and supports the stratigraphical evidence from the Grey River. In the bluish-green sands there are occasional shell-fragments.
For some distance below this spot there are no clear sections, but sand is probably the major constituent of the beds. At the junction with the Kowai River, however, there are high cliffs on the northern side, where the strata are clearly visible for half a mile. The lowest beds exposed in this locality are sands with interstratified gravels, in which limestone-fragments form a most important constituent. The beds with the limestone-fragments are at least 50 ft. thick, and may be thicker. Higher up the limestone constituent gets less and less, and the pebbles are entirely of greywacke. No other included material, such as fragments of Mount Brown limestone, was noted at this spot, which might indicate the date of the break between the Amuri limestone beds and those under consideration. It is possible that these gravel beds are unconformable to the greenish marine sands, since for some distance no exposures are visible which enable their relations to be precisely determined, and there is evidence from other parts of the area that these upper gravels are unconformable to greenish sands—e.g., in the Grey River (see p. 272) and also in No. 2 Creek (see p. 276). These gravel beds are fairly well stratified, with occasional beds of sandy clay and thin carbonaceous shales, their total thickness being about 1,000 ft., and the whole thickness of the series from the junction of the Mount Brown beds upward being about 1,500 ft., though this may include two series—viz., the Motunau and the Kowai series.
The course of the main stream above its junction with the tributary follows almost along the strike of the beds, so that the structure is not so well displayed. The beds exposed consist of marine sands, which are remarkably
current-bedded, and loose and cemented sandy gravels with numerous fossils similar to the beds exposed in the Lower Waipara Gorge. The highest bed of this series exposed in the valley of the stream consists of greenish sandy clay, which weathers a light brown, and contains fossil shells. Its upper surface has been distinctly eroded, and on it rests a heavy layer of cemented gravel, and following this are sandy clays and gravel beds dipping south-east at angles of 10°. These beds pass upward into the gravel beds exposed on the cliffs of the river below the junction with the tributary. In the tributary mentioned above I could find no indication of an eroded surface analogous to that in the main stream, and so it may be an unconformity of local character similar to those recorded elsewhere, but it may indicate a decided unconformity between the Motunau and the Kowai series.
It is owing to the typical development of these gravels and the beds associated with them in the Kowai River, not only in this locality but in the south branch as well, that I have called them the Kowai series. It is possible, however, that the lower part of this group of beds may be equivalent to the upper part of the Motunau series, and subsequent investigation may show the term to be unnecessary.
In No. 2 Creek, a southern tributary of the North Kowai, there is a very important section. Just below the high bluff on the north side, about four miles above the junction, the stream has exposed the following beds:—
Greenish sands, becoming more clayey in the upper portions and passing up into sandy shale.
Lignite, very impure, 10 in. thick, striking east-north-east and dipping north-north-west at 5°.
Argillaceous sands, decidedly clayey above the coal but becoming more sandy and greenish in colour higher up. The thickness exposed is about 6 ft., but it is eroded, and sandy gravels rest on it unconformably. An eroded surface appears just below this in the bed of the stream, with an angular mass of green sandy clay embedded in the gravel.
In close proximity to the erosion surface there is another section showing the same features, but with only 3 ft. of bed 3 interposed between the coal and the gravels.
Just over the dividing-ridge between this and the South Kowai River there are high cliffs, facing south, composed of similar beds, with gravels more strongly developed in the higher levels, and dipping south at angles about 5°. Thus an anticlinal axis runs east-north-east along the ridge in close proximity to the road which runs along the crest.
Just at the point where the stream turns after leaving the steeper slopes of Mount Grey, and assumes a north-easterly course, coal and associated beds are exposed in its actual channel and in the bank of a small gully on the southern side. They consist of—
Greenish sands, passing up into sandy clays.
Clays succeeded by greenish sandy clays.
Gravels, mixed with sand, cemented with iron oxide.
Greenish sandy clays.
These beds strike north-east, and dip north-west at an angle of 5°.
When followed up-stream there is an alternation of sands and gravels, apparently conformable to the beds just enumerated, exposed in the slips
on the river-banks; but the dip becomes steeper till, on the face of a high bluff below the bush, it reaches 20°. Here are alternating sandy clays and gravels, the former greenish-yellow in colour, which are capped unconformably by somewhat irregular sands and gravels, lying almost horizontally across the denuded edges of the lower set. The upper series evidently forms the distinct ridge which leads down-stream past the point where the undoubted unconformity described above was observed.
Similar beds are observed in places on the banks of the stream higher up, but the covering of bush and soil is too complete to attempt a correlation with those lower down. Owing to this covering it is likewise impossible to say whether the junction between the greywackes of Mount Grey is a simple unconformity or a fault contact.
Kowai River, South Branch.
The high banks of this river rise in places to a height of 500 ft. above its bed, frequently with precipitous faces, and thus excellent sections are exposed. The strata are also folded into gentle anticlines and synclines, so that in the cores of the former the lower beds are exposed. They consist of the following in ascending order:—
Sands with concretionary layers, with broken-shell beds in the lower part, at least 80 ft. thick.
Green sandy clays and gravel beds, the latter finer in grain and thicker in the lower part, and cemented with iron oxide.
At higher levels there are rapidly alternating gravel and sandy beds, the former composed of subangular pebbles, which point to deposit either on a land-surface or on a shore-line in close proximity to the source of supply. No limestone pebbles were seen in these beds. In places they exhibit intraformational unconformities, such as one would expect when rapid changes in the conditions of deposit take place, especially when the change is from a sand to a gravel, and vice versa. The gravel beds frequently form steep cliffs; and their hard bands determine the dividing-ridges between the tributary streams running into the main river, especially on the south side, and they also determine an important reach of the river itself, although its direction is primarily across the strike, and therefore of consequent character.
A specially good section is to be seen where the river makes a right-angle turn, and changes from the subsequent to the consequent direction. The beds are here bent up into a rather sharp anticline with a north-east strike and a dip to the north-west at an angle of 50°. On the seaward side of the anticlinal axis the dip is much less, the angle being about 10°, the succession being similar. But farther down-stream the strike swings round till it is north-north-east, then north-north-west, and finally north-west, following for a time the direction of the main river. This allows the lower members of the series to be exposed again in the bed and banks of the river. They consist here of sands and sandy clays, greenish-blue in colour and weathering brown, containing fossils, some of the sands with concretionary layers and associated with thin gravel beds. The shells consist of Siphonalia, Glycymeris, and Ostrea, but in a fragmentary condition.
Farther down-stream the greenish-blue beds are still exposed, but the strike gradually becomes north-east with a dip to the south-east, and gravel beds form the greater part of the high bluffs which face the river on the north above the Mount Grey Station.
Opposite the right-angle turn of the river referred to above, and immediately to the west of the axis of the anticline, there is distinct evidence of the presence of an unconformity between the gravels just referred to and a higher series. The beds here consist of sands and sandy gravels which are lithologically indistinguishable from the higher members of the lower series. On a bluff facing the river the beds in contact with the gravels of the lower series are exposed lying across their denuded edges at low angles, and immediately to the north-west they show a reversal of dip and are inclined to the south-east at angles of from 5° to 7°. This dip is in agreement with that which can be observed in sections in the upper basin of the Southern Kowai, and notably to the south of the anticline which runs to the south-east of No. 2 Creek and parallel with it. Thus there is evidence of an unconformity in the Southern Kowai in close proximity to that in the No. 2 Creek in the drainage area of the Northern Kowai.
It will be noted that the lowest members of the series present in the two branches of the Kowai consist of sandy beds with marine fossils, whereas these do not appear with certainty in the Grey River. The gravel beds are, however, equally developed in each area. This difference is perhaps of no special stratigraphical importance, since the gravel beds in both areas are undoubtedly marine, and in the Grey area conditions may not have been favourable for the preservation of fossil remains. As far as I can see at present, there is no evidence of a major unconformity between the gravel beds and the lower marine beds, although minor, intraformational unconformities undoubtedly exist. There is, however, distinct evidence of a discordance at a higher level in the Kowai series between beds of similar lithological character both above and below the unconformity, but not such a discordance as necessitates the higher beds being placed in another distinct series. The whole area and its vicinity no doubt experienced a fairly rapid elevation, probably of a differential character, so that erosion went on in one part of the area while deposition was continuous in an adjacent part. If subsequent deposition over the denuded area then ensued this special stratigraphical feature can be satisfactorily explained.
In Fox's Creek, the next stream south of the Kowai, there is an excellent section of the gravels forming the great mass of the downs area. This stream rises in the centre of the area and flows east, being bounded on the north for the middle part of its course by precipitous banks, in places up to 500 ft. in height above the stream. The beds here exposed consist of sandy gravels, sands, and sandy clays, with occasional thin, discontinuous layers of sandy carbonaceous shale. The sands are frequently blue-green in colour, and without fossils as far as I could see. In this part of the course of the stream the beds lie flat, with a slight dip to the north, but on the eastern margin of the downs the dip increases to 10° and its direction becomes south-east. In the adjacent valleys to the north and south there are similar beds with similar dip.
Lower Waipara Gorge.
Just where the river crosses the western end of the Limestone Range, beds of the Motunau series are exposed, consisting of marine sands, sandy clays, and sandy gravels frequently cemented with calcareous material and containing numerous fossil shells (Speight, 1912 and 1914). They are
involved in anticlines and synclines, and sometimes dip at steep angles—as high as 55° to 60°. They do not contain, as far as my observation goes, any limestone-fragments such as might have been shed from the Weka Pass or Amuri limestone beds, and this suggests that they are not unconformable to the beds containing those limestones, a conclusion which is supported by general stratigraphical evidence. These Motunau beds are capped unconformably by gravels containing numerous fragments of limestone, and from their lack of distinct stratification it may be concluded that they are high-level terrace-gravels of more recent date. Similar gravels occur on the downs just east of the Amberley—Waipara Railway, covering a considerable extent of country, as they are occasionally exposed in the sides of deep washouts and cap the cliffs cut by the river in making its gorge.
Along the north bank of the river below the Teviotdale Bridge there is also a series of Motunau beds, consisting of sands, sandy clays, and gravels, some of which are very fine and smooth and are evidently of marine origin. These beds contain fossil shells at various levels, which point to the age being Mio-Pliocene or Pliocene (Speight, 1914). On the south bank of the river the beds are much obscured by slip-material and vegetation, so that in no place is the contact clearly displayed. On the terrace near the mouth of the river the following section is exposed:—
Yellowish sands, exposed at river-level and for 6 ft. upwards.
Sandy lignite, with well-marked woody structure and containing crystals of gypsum in stellate and columnar groups, 4 ft. in thickness.
Sandy clay (fireclay?), with occasional pieces of bituminized wood.
Lignite, full of bituminized wood, 6–8 in.
Sand and sandy clay, with pieces of wood, 4 ft.
Gravel, 6 ft.
Farther up-stream the lignite-beds are exposed in similar stratigraphical position, succeeded by yellowish clays and sandy gravels, and at one place there is an exposure under the lignite of well-stratified and rounded marine shingle.
These beds all strike east-south-east and dip west-south-west at very flat angles, and it is impossible to tell on stratigraphical grounds whether the gravels overlying the lignites are conformable or not, or whether they belong to the Kowai series or to recent terrace-gravels. The locality furnishes evidence of the ease with which conformity may be simulated under certain circumstances. If level beds are planed by the sea, and no irregularity left on their being depressed and covered with a veneer of sediments, apparent conformity may occur over considerable distances, and especially will this be the case if the beds in contact are of a sandy or gravelly nature. A suggestion of unconformity is given in this case by the presence in the lowest layer of gravel of large pebbles, up to 8 in. in diameter, and more or less subangular, indicating strong currents on a land-surface or on a sea-bottom in close proximity to land, and that the beds were deposited under conditions entirely dissimilar from those obtaining when the better-rounded gravels were laid down.
Other Canterbury Localities.
There are other localities in this part of the South Island where similar gravels occur, among which may be cited the Isolated Hills in the Culverden
Basin; the cliffs at Gore Bay, where well-cemented gravels are involved in a syncline; the western side of the Trelissick Basin, specially in the Hog's Back Creek; between the Pudding Stone and the North Ashburton River; and in South Canterbury between the Tengawai and Pareora Rivers. It is probable, too, that the deeper gravels encountered in the bore at Chertsey belong to this series, the indications of petroleum coming from plant-remains which elsewhere have formed lignite.* Just below the Rakaia Gorge, where great thickness of gravels has been exposed, there is an underlying set of beds which are more strongly oxidized than the covering strata, and they may perhaps be assigned to a series older than the prevailing shingle beds of the plains. Although this criterion is perhaps an unsatisfactory one on which to base a determination of relative age, yet it has been applied in Switzerland in order to differentiate the gravels of the older glacial series of that region.
General Conclusions as to the Origin and Age of the Beds, and Relation to the Gravels of the Canterbury Plains.
The materials of which these gravels are composed have been derived almost entirely from original greywackes. No limestone was noted among them except in the case of the beds in the North Kowai. Occasional pebbles of basalt also occur, such as might have been derived from areas where such rocks are known to exist. A siliceous sandstone, white in colour and forming rounded masses, which could not be traced to its source, also occurs freely in the gravels of the Mount Grey district. These are perhaps masses of sandstone which have been loosely cemented by processes analogous to those which have formed the sarsen stones, or “Chinamen,” as they are called by miners, of the schist areas of Central Otago.
The subangular nature of the pebbles shows that the greywacke land must have been in close proximity to the area of deposit. The absence of large pebbles suggests that it was of moderate relief, though it might have been the outlying portion of a more elevated tract. The gravels contain, however, no suggestion of a glacial or fluvio-glacial origin; they are just such gravels as might have been brought down by the present Ashley or Waipara Rivers, which have no connection with glaciers. The origin of the limestone constituent can be traced exactly, as exposures of limestone of similar nature occur within a short distance of the area where they have been deposited; but these limestone pebbles occur low down in the series and disappear at higher levels, so that the uppermost beds must have been derived from areas where limestone does not exist. Although the lower members of the series are undoubtedly marine, the upper members were in all probability deposited under estuarine conditions or actually on a land-surface.
The determination of the age of the Kowai series is a matter of some difficulty. The unconformity in the Grey River shows that it is certainly post-Miocene, and in the Lower Waipara Gorge beds occur under the gravels with a fossil content which shows them to be upper Pliocene (Speight, 1914, p. 300)—that is, beds which form the upper part of the Motunau series. Therefore we may reasonably infer that the Kowai series is either upper Pliocene, if no unconformity exists between two sets of beds, or Pleistocene, if an unconformity is demonstrable. The Pliocene beds of the lower Waipara are perhaps the uppermost beds of a conformable Cretaceo-Tertiary series.
[Footnote] * Pieces of carbonized bark have recently been obtained from a depth of 1,900 ft. in this bore.
Therefore if an unconformity can be proved between the Kowai series and any member of the lower series it will be unconformable to all. As the presence of included fragments of limestone in the gravel beds of the Kowai demonstrates the existence of a clear unconformity between the gravels and the limestones, and the undoubted erosion-surface in the Grey River demonstrates the presence of one at a higher level still, we may therefore infer that the gravels of the Kowai series must be of Pleistocene age. If, however, the Cretaceo-Tertiary series is broken up eventually into subordinate unconformable elements, then this argument fails, and the matter will depend on the relation of the Kowai series to the fossiliferous marine beds of the lower Waipara and the Northern Kowai, as being the highest beds on which the Kowai series undoubtedly rests. The relation of the two sets of beds is somewhat obscure, though, judging from the evidence in the latter locality, probably unconformable. Therefore all that can be definitely stated is that the Kowai series overlies undoubted upper Pliocene beds and must be of a later age, and is most probably Pleistocene.
This must be earlier than the gravels forming the Canterbury Plains, for these have suffered no deformation by folding movements, whereas the gravels of the Kowai series are at times folded somewhat acutely. They would therefore antedate the last period of glaciation to which the region had been subjected.
A point which bears on the conformity of the Tertiary sequence should be noted—viz., that in neither of the two branches of the Grey River are the typical Mount Brown beds developed, thus suggesting an unconformity between the Motunau series, or the Kowai series, and the Mount Brown beds in case the absence is due to erosion, or between the Mount Brown beds and the “grey marls” in case the overlying beds, together with the Mount Brown beds, are part of a conformable series. As there appears to be no evidence of unconformity between the Mount Brown beds and the “grey marls” in the typical locality, whereas there is some evidence of an unconformity between the Motunau series and the Mount Brown beds, it seems more likely that the absence of the Mount Brown facies in the Grey River is due to erosion of these beds after deposition. This, however, is a point which requires further investigation.
Haast, J. von, 1879. Geology of Canterbury and Westland.
Hutton, F. W., 1877. Rep. Geol. Explor. during 1873–74, pp. 27–58.
— 1885. Sketch of the Geology of New Zealand, Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc., vol. 41, pp. 191–220.
McKay, A., 1877. Rep. Geol. Explor. during 1874–76, pp. 172–84.
Park, J., 1910. The Geology of New Zealand, Whitcombe and Tombs, Christchurch.
Speight, R., 1912. A Preliminary Account of the Lower Waipara Gorge, Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. 44, pp. 221–33.
— 1914. Additions to the List of Fossils from the Lower Waipara, Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. 46, p. 300.
— 1918. Structural and Glacial Features of the Hurunui Valley, Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. 50, pp. 93–105.
Speight, R., and Wild, L. J., 1918. The Stratigraphical Relationship of the Weka Pass Stone and the Amuri Limestone, Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. 50, pp. 65–93.
Thomson, J. A., 1917. Diastrophic and other Considerations in Classification and Correlation, and the Existence of Minor Diastrophic Districts in the Notocene, Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. 49, pp. 397–413.