ocks lying
as remnants on their flanks; and finally the Rocky Mountains in the
Laramie or early Eocene, after the close of the Cretaceous. This latest
and also highest range was formed by tremendous thrusts from the Pacific
side, crumpling and folding the ancient sedimentary rocks, which run
from the Cambrian to the Cretaceous, and faulting them along overturned
folds. The outer ranges in Alberta have usually the form of tilted
blocks with a steep cliff towards the north-east and a gentler slope,
corresponding to the dip of the beds, towards the south-west. Near the
centre of the range there are broader foldings, carved into castle and
cathedral shapes. The most easterly range has been shown to have been
actually pushed 7 m. out upon the prairies. In the Rocky Mountains
proper no eruptive rocks have broken through, so that no ore deposits of
importance are known from them, but in the Cretaceous synclines which
they enclose valuable coal basins exist. Coal of a bituminous and also
semi-anthracite kind is produced, the best mined on the Pacific slope of
the continent, the coking coals of the Fernie region supplying the fuel
of the great metal mining districts of the Kootenays in British
Columbia, and of Montana and other states to the south. The Selkirks and
Gold Ranges west of the Rockies, with their great areas of eruptive
rocks, both ancient and modern, include most of the important mines of
gold, silver, copper and lead which give British Columbia its leadership
among the Canadian provinces as a producer of metals. In early days the
placer gold mines of the Columbia, Fraser and Caribou attracted miners
from everywhere, but these have declined, and lode mines supply most of
the gold as well as the other metals. The Coast Ranges and islands also
include many mines, especially of copper, but up to the present of less
value than those inland. Most of the mining development is in southern
British Columbia, where a network of railways and waterways gives easy
access; but as means of communication improve to the north a similar
development may be looked for there. The Atlin and White Horse regions
in northern British Columbia and southern Yukon have attracted much
attention, and the Klondike placers still farther north have furnished
many millions of dollars' worth of gold. Summing up the economic
features of the Cordilleran belt, it includes many of the best
coal-mines and the most extensive deposits of gold, copper, lead and