Geological Sections through the Andes of Peru and Bolivia: I—From the Coast at Arica in the North of Chile to La Paz and the Bolivian ‘Yungas’

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Abstract
I. Introduction. This paper deals with the geological structure of a part of the South American Andes, as illustrated by a horizontal section drawn from the port of Arica in the extreme north of Chile (formerly Peruvian territory), across the mountain-ranges or ‘Cordilleras,’ to the ‘Montaña,’ or forested region of the Amazon basin, known as the Bolivian Yungas. It is the partial result of two years' geological exploration in Peru, undertaken on behalf of Mr. W. E. Balston, F.G.S., who, being impressed during his travels by the geological features of the country, was good enough to send me out for the Oxford University Museum to study them in greater detail. I was accompanied for fifteen months by Mr. J. R. Thomas of Montana (U.S.A.), who, after his valuable help in the field, I much regret, has been unable to assist me further in the study and publication of our results. At Mr. Balston's suggestion, we commenced work in the south of the district, following the route of the new Arica-La Paz railway, which at the time of our visit was in course of construction. Unfortunately, the line passes for the greater part of its length over igneous rocks and barren sediments, furnishing little in the way of palæontological evidence, and thus compares somewhat unfavourably with the more fossiliferous sections of our northern traverses. This southern section, however, has a particular interest on account of its historical associations, since it is practically coincident with a section first described in 1842 by

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