[From The Amrrican Journal of Scirnck, Vol. Ill, Makch, 1S97.] 
 
 ^ ON THE ORIGIN AND RELATIONS OF THE 
 GRENVILLE & HASTINGS SERIES IN 
 THE CANADIAN LAURENTIAN. 
 
 By Frank D. Adams and Aij-red E. Barlow, with remarks by 
 
 R. W. Eus. 
 
Adams, Badow and Elh — Canadian Lanrentian. 173 
 
 Art. XVII.— ^;/ tlie Origin and Rdaiioni of th>' (irenvilU 
 and lla.'itinf/fi /Series in f/u> Canadia?) Lavreniian ; by 
 Fjjaxk D. Adams and Alfred E. Harlow, with remarks 
 by li. W. Eli.s.* 
 
 As tlie expioration of tlie more remote portions of the great 
 CaiKuIian j)rotaxij; of the Xoi'th American eontineiit progresses, 
 aceoii'.panied by the detailed mapping of its more accessi- 
 ble parts, the true character, strnctnre and origin of the Lan- 
 rentian System is being gradually unfolded. The work of 
 Logan during the early years of the ('anadiaii (leological Sur- 
 vey, though e.xeellent in the main, is being supplemented and, 
 in certain flireetions, corrected ; and as tlie work is now being 
 pushed rajiidly forward, it is believed tliat the time is not far 
 distant when, difficult as the study is, we shall possess as com- 
 plete a knowledge of these ancient rocks as we now do of 
 maTiy more recent formations. In a i)aper which appeared in 
 189;^.+ it was demonstrated thi'.t Logan's "Upper Lanrentian " 
 does not exist as an independent geological series, the anortho- 
 sites, wliich were considered as'constituting its main feature, 
 being in I'eality great intrusive or batholitie masses ; while in 
 a subsequent paper,:}: it was shown that in tliv? remaining por- 
 tion of tlie Lanrentian, two distinct classes of rocks could be 
 distinguished, the first being beyond all doubt igneous rocks, 
 and the second consisting of highly altered rocks of aipieons 
 origin. In addition to Jiese two classes of rocks of which the 
 origin could be recognized, there was 3'et a third class, concern- 
 ing the genesis of wliich there remained some doubt. 
 
 Since the* appearance of these papers, the present writers 
 have been working together in mapping a large area (about 
 4S0(> s(piare miles) of the Laui'entian in central Ontario, coin- 
 ])iising mai)-sheet No. ll^. and a portion of 111', of the 
 Ontario series of geological mai)s, the district lying to the 
 north of Lake Ontario, along the margin of the Protaxis, and 
 being especially well >>«uited for purposes of study. Portions 
 of three summers jiave already been spent in the district, and 
 as two years more must prol)ably elapse before the work can 
 be completed, it is desired here to present a geneial outline of 
 the results so far obtaine<l, imlicafing certain conclusions which 
 Reem likely to be reached concerning the origin of the rocks in 
 (juestion. 
 
 The Fundamental (ineiss, as shown by the work of the Cana- 
 dian (ieoU»gical Survey, occupies by far the laryer j)ortion of 
 the protaxis as a whole ; while the (rreTiville Series Inis prob- 
 
 * rnlilislied by pormission of tlie Director of tliP (i(>ologifnl Survey of (^anmla. 
 
 f Adnins V. D. — ITehor das N'orian oiicr Ohcr-Liuirontian von f'iiniKiii, Neiies 
 Jthrl)iu'li flir MitiorHlo^fif. Reiltigi' Hmid viii, 18!(.'!, 
 
 \ AdiunH, V D, — A Further Coutrilniliou to our Knowledge of the Jiaurenlian, 
 this Journal, July, 1895. 
 
c :j^ ) 
 
 174 2i<Iams^ Barlow and Klh — Canadian Laurentian. 
 
 ubly its |)riiicii)iil (levelopineiit alonj; tlie southeastern margin, 
 altlutugli as the exphji'ation of this vast area is eontinneii, new 
 and possil)ly more extensive areas of these rocks may yet be 
 found. Strata belonging to this «eries are already known to 
 occur on the u|)|)er ^[anicuagan Miver, the lower Ilaniiltoa 
 River, on tlie Manouan l>ranch of the Peribonka and on the 
 lower part of the Ungava River, in the Labrador j)eninsula ; 
 while similar rocks, which would seem to belong to this series,, 
 but wiiich have not as yet been thoroughly examined, have 
 been met with about southern BafKn's Land, and ])ossibly about 
 Baker Lake near the head of Chesterlield Inlet, as well as on 
 the west coast of Hudson Bay and also at Cross Lake on the 
 Nelson River. 
 
 The Fundamental Gneiss consists of various igneous rcK'ks 
 closely allied in petrographical character to granites, diorites 
 and gabbros, and which almost invariably have a more or less 
 distinct foliation. Where this foliation is scarcely perceptible 
 it becomes very ditlicult to decide whether the rock is an intru- 
 sive granite or diorite. or a very massive form of the gneiss in 
 question. The diiferent varieties of gneissic rock alternate 
 with (»r succeed one another across the strike, or sometimes cut 
 one another off, suggesting a complicated intrusion of one mas* 
 through the other, but there is usually a general direction of 
 strike to which, in any particu'.ir district, the foliation of all 
 the \arieties conform. The associated basic rocks are very 
 dark or black in color and are usually foliated, but sometimes 
 this foliation is absent and the I'ock occurs in masses of all 
 sizes and shaj)es scattered through the acid gneisses, and in the 
 great ma jority of cases so intimately associated with the latter 
 that it is im]>ossible to separate the two in mapping. The 
 smaller (»f these masses (an be distinctly seen to have been torn 
 from the larger, which latter are often of enormous size. This 
 process can be observed in all its stages. The granitic 
 gneiss invades the great basic masses, sending otf wedge-like 
 arms into them, which tear th.em apart and anastomose through 
 ' them in the most complicated manner. These smallei' masses 
 can then be observed to be separated into still smaller frag- 
 ments, which either from the fact that they split most readily 
 in the direction of their foliation or owing tt» siibse([uent 
 movements, when tiie rock was in a more or less plastic condi- 
 tion, often assume h»ng ribbondike forms. That great move- 
 miMits havt! taken j)lace in the whole .--eries during or after this 
 invasion is shown by the coni[)licated twisting of these darker 
 bands and masses into all manner of curious and intricate 
 forms, as well as in the fre(juent ri>lling out of great blocks of 
 the amphiliolite, after having been jtenetrated in all directions 
 by small pegmatite veins, resulting in masses of a dark basic 
 gneissoid rock, tilled with strings, bunches, separated frag- 
 ments or grains of <(uartz or feldspar, giving to the mass u 
 pseudo conglomeratic appearance. 
 
Adami<, Barlov and Ellfi — Canadian Laxtrentian. 175 
 
 There can l)e hut little douht that the various ^iicissie rocks, 
 constituting tlie more acid ])art of the series, are of truly 
 igneous origin ; and there is no evidence wliatever of their 
 having ever foi'nied part of a sedimentary series. 
 
 Tlie true ciiaracter of the more hasic mcmhers is more uncer- 
 tain, hut they are pi-oljahly clo>ely related to the j-yroxene 
 granulitesof Saxony, and douhtless rejiresent either diti'erentia- 
 tion-i)roduets of the originnl magma, or i»a.-ic infrnsi(^ns whose 
 structural relations and characters liave l)een largely masked 
 hy the great nioveinents which have' taken place in the whole 
 series at a later date. 
 
 The (xrenville Series dilTersfrom the Fundamental Gneiss in 
 that it (!ontains certain rocks whose compositi(jn marks tliem as 
 liighly altered sediments. These rocks are chiefly limestones, 
 with whi(di are associated certain pecidiar gneisses, rich in silli- 
 manite and garnet, having a comj)osition a|)proaching ordinary 
 shale oi- slat'", or else very ricli in t|Uiirtz and passing into 
 quartzite, having thus the com])Osition of sandstone. These 
 rocks, as has been shown in oik; of the papers before referred 
 to, usually (»ccnr in close association with (jne another, and are 
 quite dilfei'ent in composition from any igneous rocks liithcrto 
 described. I'hey are considered as constituting the essential 
 part of the Grenvillc series. Tliey usually, however, foi'ui but 
 a very small pro|)ortion of tlie rocky complex in the areas in 
 which they occur, and which, owing t(» their pnisence, is refer- 
 red to the (-irrenville series. They are associated with and 
 often enclosed by much gi'eater volumes of gneissic rocks, 
 identical in character with tlie Fundimental gneiss. The lime- 
 stones are also almost invariably penetrated by masses of coarse 
 |jegmatite, and occa.-ioiially large masses of the iimestone are 
 found embcd(le<i i.i what would otherwise be supposed to be 
 the l''un(him(!ntal gneiss. The whole thus presiMitsa series of se(h"- 
 mentary rocks, chiefly limestones, invaded liy great nujsses of 
 the so-called !''undainental (rrieiss. and in which, possibly, some 
 varieties of the gneissic rocks present may owe their (»rigiu to 
 the ])artial commingling of the sedimentary material with the 
 igneous rocks by actual fusion. Tlii-re is, however, no reason 
 to believe, from the evidence at pi'esent available, tliat any 
 considerable proportion of the series has originated in the last 
 nienti(»neil manner. 
 
 It will be re.idily seen that an exact (hdimitation of areas of 
 tlie (irenville series is tiius sometimes a matter of great dilH- 
 culty, as they of ten appear to shade away iniotlie Fundamental 
 gneiss, and it has hitherto been difficult in tlie case of the 
 (irenville series to account for the existence of such a compar- 
 atively small |)ro|)ortion of sedimentary strata, intimately asso- 
 ciated with such great volunr s of igneous gnei.>ses. 
 
 The relations of the two series, as determined by the investi- 
 gations of the last two seasons, throws new light upon the sub- 
 ject, and indicates the j)r(»bable explainition of the ditliculty. 
 
176 Adams, Barlov) and EUh — Canadian Laureniian. 
 
 The iiortliwestern half of tlie more restricted area at present 
 under consideration is underhiin by Fundamental (ineiss, pre- 
 sentinjy tha characters described above. A smaller area of the 
 same j^neiss occurs at the southwestern corner of tlie area, in 
 the townships of Lutte worth, Snowdon and (rlamorifan, while 
 in the southern and southeastern portions of the area there are 
 other occurrences, which, however, ])resent a more normally 
 granitic character. 
 
 The southeastern portion of the area is underlain by rocks of 
 the so-called Ilastinifs Series, consisting chietly of thinly-bedded 
 limestones, dolomites, etc., cut throujjh by i!;reat intrusions of 
 gabbro-diorite aiui granite. These limestones and dolomites 
 are usually fine-grained and bluish or greyish in color, with thin 
 interstratitied layers, liolding sheaf-like bundles of hornblende 
 crystals. As compared with the limestones of the Grenville 
 series they are comj)aratively unaltered. They form beyond all 
 doubt a true sedimentary series, and in the southeast«!rn corner 
 of the area are associated with conglomerates or breccias of 
 undoubtedly clastic orimn. Between the great area of Funda- 
 mental Gneiss in the northwest, and the Hastings series in the 
 southeast of the sheet, there lies an irregular-shaped belt of 
 rocks, presenting the characters of the typical (-irenville series 
 as above described, the limestones having in all cases the form 
 of coarsely crystalline, white or pinkish marbles, although 
 more or less imi)ure. The strike of the foliation of the Gren- 
 ville series follows in a general way the boundaries of the 
 B'undamental Gneiss, and is seen in an especially distinct man- 
 uer to wrap itself around the long and narrow development of 
 the gneiss exposed in the southwest corner of the area. Iso- 
 lated masses of the limestone and gneiss characteristic of the 
 Grenville series are also fouiul in the form of outlying patches 
 about its margin, as for instance in the townshij)s of Lutter- 
 worth and StanlK>pe. The relations of the Grenville series to 
 the Fundamental gneiss are such as to suggest that in the for- 
 mer we have a sedimentary series later in date than the Funda- 
 mental Gneiss, which has sunk down into and been invaded by 
 intrusions of the latter series when this was in a semi-molten or 
 plastic condition. The litnestoiu's, while themselves rendered 
 more or less ])lastic by the same heat which softened the lower 
 gneisses, do not show any distinct evidence of absorptioti or 
 solutifin l)y the invading rocks, uidess some of the highly gar- 
 netiferous gneisses usually associated with the limestones are 
 formed by a commingling of the two rocks. Masses of tlie 
 highly crystalline limestone or marble in some cases lie quite 
 isolated in what are, to all appearances, the lower gneisses, as 
 if they had been separated from the parent nuiss, and had 
 passed outward or downward into the gneissic magma. 
 
 The contact of the Fundamental Gncnss and the (Trenville 
 series would aj)pear therefore to be a contact of intrusion, in 
 very many cases at least. 
 
Axhniii^, Barlow <md KlLs— Cana/lian Laureidian. 177 
 
 Tlie ([uestion of tlie relations of the (irrenville series to the 
 Hastings series then presents itself". Altliou<i;h re|)eati;r' trav- 
 erses hase been nuule from one series into the other, no sharp 
 line of division has been found. Towards the sontheast the 
 limestones of the Grenville series in many places, thoii<;h still 
 hii^hly crvstalline, seem to he less hit^hly altered, and finally, 
 as the Hastings series is aj)proaehe(l. jn-esent in ])laces the 
 blnish color of the limestones of the latter series; so that it is 
 often im[)ossihle to determine to which series they fhonld be 
 ref'errrd. The limestones of both series also have the numer- 
 ous small interstratified gneissic inclusions or bands so fre- 
 quently referred to in the descri|)tions of the limestones of" the 
 Ohenville series, n)aking the resemblance still more complete. 
 In fact, although the true relations of the two series are 
 obscured by the prcisence of numerous great intrusions of gran- 
 itic and basic ])yroxenic rocks, and can only be determined 
 with absolute certair.tv by the com])letion of the mapping, tlie 
 investigations so far indicate that in the region in question the 
 Hastings series would seem to rei)resent the (Trenville scries in 
 a less altered fcjrm. In other words, the Ilafcings series, when 
 invaded, disintegrated, fretted away and intensely metamor- 
 phf)sed by and mixed up with the underlying magma of the 
 Fundamental Gneiss, constitutes what has elsewhere been 
 termed the Grenville series. The Grenville series niay, lu>w- 
 ever, re))resent only a portion of the Hastings series, and the 
 work so far done in this district has not been sufficient to 
 determine the stratigraphical position of this portion. 
 
 Concerning the age of the Hastings series but little is known 
 as yet. To the southeast of the area under consideration, how- 
 ever, its clastic character is well marked, Itreccias and conglom- 
 erates, ofteri greatly deformed by pressure, being present as 
 well as certain fine-grained and comparatively unaltered lime- 
 stones, in which a veiT careful search may yet bt; rewarded l)y 
 the discovery of fossils. Both lithologically and stratigraphi- 
 cally the rocks bear a striking resemblance to rocks mapped as 
 Huronian in the region to the north and northeast of Lake 
 Huron, and it seems very likely that the identity of the two 
 series may eventually Ix; established. The two areas, however, 
 are rather widely separated geographically, so that the greatest 
 care will have to be exercised in attempting such a correlation. 
 
 Like the (rrenville series, the rocks of the Hasiings stjries 
 are unconformably overlain by and disappear beneath the flat- 
 lying GambroSilurian rocks of the plains, which limit, the pro- 
 taxis on the south and are separated from it in time by an 
 immense erosion interval. Fuitlier investigation in this area, 
 as well as in that adjoining to the east, now being mapped by 
 Dr. R. W. Ells, will, however, it is hoped, Ixjfore long throw 
 additional lit'ht on the age of this very interesting and impor- 
 tant series of rocks. H further investigation proves that the 
 relations of the several series have been correctly diagnoBcd, 
 
178 Adams, Barlow and Ells — Canadian Laurentian. 
 
 and that the explanation of tluise relations as given al)Ove i^ 
 correct, the liaurentian system of Logan will resolve itself into 
 an enormous area of the Fundamental (ineiss, wliich is essen- 
 tially of igneous origin and which there is every reason to 
 helieve forms part of the downward extension of the original 
 crust of our planet, perhaps many times remelted and certainly 
 in many places penetrated hy enormous intrusions of later date ; 
 into which Fundamental (riieiss, when in a softened condition, 
 there have sunk portions of an overlying series, consisting 
 chietly of limestones. 
 
 Farther east, in that portion of the ])rovince of Quer.ec 
 where the .''renville series was first studied by liOgan, the 
 rocks of the Hastings series proper have not been rec(»gnized. 
 The Lower Paleozoic strata rest ^lirectly upon the Grenville 
 series and wonhl cover ii[) tht^ Hastings series to the south 
 should it extend as far east as this. The limestones of the 
 Grenville series, moreover, here extend much farther back 
 from the edge of the protaxisiu bands and streaks conforming to 
 the strike of the underlying gneissic rocks, so that the origin 
 of the series and its relations to the Fundamental Gneiss is not 
 so clearly indicated. When, however, its relations here are 
 intei-jireted in the light of the Ontario occurrences, there seems 
 to be no reason why the same explanation might not be offered 
 to account for its origin also. The bands of limestone, wdn'ch 
 often vary in thickness from place to place, and are frequently 
 interrupted in their course or abruptly cut off, might be con- 
 sidered as having taken their form from long folds in the series 
 from which they were derived as it settled down into the 
 magma beneath, or as having been se|)arated by great lateral 
 intrusions of the gneissic magma. Tluiir oi'ginal shape ami 
 character has, however, without donl)t been greatly altered by 
 the enormous mov«Mnents to which l)oth series of rocks have 
 been subsequently subjected. 
 
 [f again this proves to be the true explanation of the rela- 
 tions of these series, the Grenville series will cease to be an 
 anomaly among oui' Archaean formations and will, so far as its 
 mode of occurrence is concerned, bear the same relation to 
 the Fundamenial Gneiss as tl,',; Huronhin <loes farther west in 
 the Lake Sii].K'riur and Huron district, as shown by Lawson 
 and Barlow; the similarity in posit', m, however, not Imply- 
 ing identity in age. 
 
 The recognition of tin; (Jrenville series as consi-ting of a 
 scries of sedimentary rocks, largely limestont!s, invaded by 
 igneous material which now makes up by far the greater por- 
 tion of the series and consists largi'ly of i xtravasations of the 
 Fundamental (rueiss, is now |)ietty certainly established by the 
 field evidence. Its recognition as a portion of the Hastings 
 series which lias been intenscily metamorphose<l, will probabTy 
 be more clearly established as the held work progresses. Since 
 siibordiuate areas of the Grenville series also occur to the 
 
Adams, Barhno cnal Ells — Canadian Laurentian. 179 
 
 south of the St. Lawrence in tlie Adirondack region, and are 
 now l)ein<r iiiapjH-'d, it will he of ijjreat interest to ascertain 
 whether the same rehitions do not also exist in that area, and 
 whether a continuation of the Hastings series to tlie south can- 
 not be recognized in the " liiironian Schist" of St. Lawrence 
 and .lefFerson counties, shown upon the (geological Map of the 
 State of New York, which has just been issued by the (ieolog- 
 ical Survey of this State. 
 
 It is i)erhaps unnecessary to draw attention to the fact that 
 the recent investigations of Messrs. Wolff, Brooks, Nason, 
 Kemp, Westgate and others on the crystalline limestones of 
 New Jersey have a certain bearing r»n this subject. 
 
 liemarks by li. W. Ells : 
 
 In connection with the statements advanced in tlie preceding 
 paper l>y Dr. Adams and Mr. Barlow, it is but right that the 
 conclusions arrived at from the study of the similar rocks in 
 their eastern and northern extension shouhl be stated. The 
 investigations in tliis (juarter have tiow been carried on for six 
 years, and have extended over a very large area to the north of 
 the Ottawa, in which is included the typical CTrenville st-ries 
 of Sir W. E. Logan, and extendiug far uji tlie Gatineau 
 Itiver; while to the westward, the w<u'k has beeii carried on 
 till the vicinity of the area, described in the aceoinpai)yijig 
 paper, has been reached. It may be said therefore that the 
 detailed examination of the rocks which make Uj) the (xren- 
 ville aiul Hastings series has extended over an area about 250 
 miles in length by 75 miles in breadth. 
 
 In the early days of the study of these rocks much dithculty 
 was experienced. Firstly there was a gnnit and almost inac- 
 cessible wilderness, the oidy available means (»f travel over tlie 
 greater portion being by canoes; and in the second ]dace there 
 \vas an almost entire lack of trained observers to carry on the 
 work. Add to this the entire absence of microscopical deter- 
 niinations, and one can readily comprehend the ditficulty expe- 
 ricTU'.ed in the attempt to solve this most dithcidt of the 
 problems in Canadian gtsology. 
 
 Foliation and stratitication were considered conclusive evi- 
 dence of sedinu'iitation, and as most of the rocks of the great 
 Jjaurentian complex gave evidence of these forms t.»f structure, 
 the inference naturally followed that the greater portion of 
 the gneissic, granitic aiul anorthositic rocks were ot se(linu)n- 
 tary origin. So far was this sedimentary theory carried out 
 that, in the earlier reports of the (geological Survisy, even the 
 masses of bimiry granite and many of the |)yr(»xeidc rocks were 
 included in the same; catt!gory. This was at the tinu' a very 
 natural conclusion, since many of these masses have a regular 
 bedded structure and conform, over very c(»nsiderable areas, to 
 the regular stratification of the rocks, either gneiss or crystal- 
 line limestone. As the countrv became more iiccessible the 
 
ISO A(I<ims, Barlov and Klh — Canadian Lanrentlan. 
 
 field iiivcstijratioiis showed ver) cksirly the intrusive nature 
 and hiter aije <.f many of these masses, while the aid of tlie 
 microscope fully esta!>li>hed the nf>n-elasti(' and i<rneou8 eliar- 
 acter of the irreat hulk of the irneisses. The more recent and 
 prohiiMy sedi'!ie!itarv origin ()f the limestones and as.'-ociatt!(l 
 gneisses of the (irenville series, as distinet from the lijrcat 
 mass of the underlviii;;' r>aurentian Fundamental (tneiss, wa» 
 j)ointed ont some yeai's ai::o in a paper hy the author, read 
 l)efore tlie Geological Society ol' America. Tiie sui>se(pient 
 in vest! iiat ions on these rocks, to the west and southwest, showed 
 that the conclusions then presented wen- cornet. I)iit that !is the 
 work cxtendeii westwai'd to the south side of tlu; Ottawa the 
 ciuiracterof the various tjcroups of rocks <iradually chanmiMJ. The 
 area> of limestone liecame much more e\tensi\c. and there was 
 a lar^fe developinent of iiornhlende and other dark-colored rocks, 
 rarely seen to the north of the Ottawa. The linu'Stones also 
 were very often hiiilily dolnmitie, iin<l in certain areas were 
 blue and slaty, with luit little of the aspect of the ( irenville 
 limestones, except where they wen- in close conta('t with 
 masses of intrusive <;ranite or diorite. There is als(» in the 
 rocks of this ii roup to the south of the Ottawa, where they 
 have heen styled the lla.-tiii^i's sel•ie^, from the fact that they 
 were first studied in the county of Ilastin^'s, a very consider- 
 ahle j>ro|)ortion of schists, micaceous, chloiitic and liornlihMidic, 
 with certain re<rularlv slatv heds, an<l others of true coiiijlom- 
 erat(> contaiin'n;^' (piartz pehhles. In certain pctrtioiis the litlio- 
 loLHcal resemhlances hetween the (Treiiville and Hastings 
 rocks are very close, and they may. for all )u-actical purposes, 
 he rc;^ar<led as oui' and the same .-erics. I'lum a numl>er of 
 sections made in the counties of Renfrew (Ui the .south of the 
 Ottawa, and in I*oiitiac, to the tiortli y\[ that rivi'r, it would 
 appear that tlu; original (irenville lime-tones and associated 
 grey and rusty gneiss form the lower part of tlie series, since 
 it is only on their development westwani towards the typical 
 [fastings htcality that the characteristic Hastings schists and 
 a.-^ociated strata are met with. 
 
 In character and general as|tect these rocks of the Hastings 
 series are almost identical with many of those which in tlu; 
 Eastern Townships and in .New lirunswick have hi-en regarded 
 as prohahly Iluronian for many years ; ami so marked is the 
 resemlilance that the author, in presenting his summary report 
 for IHIM. referred the rock< seen near the IJristol iron mines 
 to that division. It now Hjtpi'ars very cotu'liisively estahlished 
 that hoth in the eastern and western areas we have a well 
 developed series of roi'ks. including- Iim"stom's. gneiss and 
 s(diist.>J, which are of undouhted sedinu'iitary (U'igin, hut which 
 hav(^ heen enormously acted upon hy great intrusive ma.'^ses as 
 well as hy (ttlier dynamitr agencies, so that in tminy partH their 
 original ciiaracters have almost entirely disappeared.