might sharpen the further study of these matters. It was also suggested that geologists on both sides of the Atlantic should standardize or integrate their use of such broad terms as Ta- conic, Caledonian, Appalachian, and others, so that all schools of geology Meetings Geology along the North Atlantic: Gander Conference Geologic relations on opposite sides of the North Atlantic Ocean do not prove the theory of continental drift but most of them support the hypothesis. This was the informal conclusion at an international conference held 24-31 August 1967, at Gander, New- foundland. More than 50 papers were presented to 114 participants, of whom 40 came from the United States, 31 from Great Britain, 30 from Canada, and 13 from other countries. Several field trips were made before, during, and after the formal programs. The papers fell into two main categories. Many were informative or discursive, describing the details of geologic relations Britain, Canada, the and rocks maritime northeastern Greenland, and the in Great provinces United islands of States, of the would have a common understanding of the time and geographic significance of these terms. A portion of the last session was devoted to such a synthesis and some of its inherent prob- and tectonic structures. Differences were discussed between the so-called Atlantic and Pacific provinces of Newfoundland and Britain. Intercontinental correlations of Cambro-Ordovician rocks and graptolites were suggested. Other sessions dealt with Silurian, Devonian, and Carboniferous systems of the North Atlantic region; trans- current and other faulting, including the thrust sheets of western Newfoundland; the relation of specific formations, such as the Old Red Sandstone and various other conglomerates, to general tectonic history and to particular structures; Arctic lands; geo- physical and oceanographic relations; and the synthesis of all of these details into a composite pattern. The subject of continental drift was a common thread running through most of the papers. Evidence bearing upon drift fell into five types: (i) paleo- lems were discussed without producing any interregional agreement. A number of unresolved problems emerged in the course of the conference, such as the precise age of the Dalradian rocks of Ireland and north- ern Britain; the cause of certain anomalous radiometric dates, whether related to subsequent cooling or produced by the overprinting of subsequent events; the whereabouts of the American Grenville rocks in the British Isles; the nature of the crust under Newfoundland; the proper integration of American Taconic deformation with European Caledonian events; and the possible consan- guinity of the Old Red Sandstone with the American Catskill formation. Other matters inviting more study were the great rifts described in eastern Green- land and the general dissimilarity of its geologic history with that of the rest of the North Atlantic province; the possibility of residual scars on the North Atlantic. Other papers were ad- geographic evidence based on_ intercontinental similarities during a single nent comparisons or contrasts within or between the several geographic re- ocean floor resulting from the former stand of vagrant continental blocks; some revision of the reputed age dates time periods; (iii) the physical congru- gested correlation of the extinction of certain foraminiferal genera with epochs vocative or argumentative, noting pertigions, or pressing for specific inter- pretations of structure or geologic history. Still others dealt with such particular processes as faunal relations, oceanographic and geophysical find- ings, and geotectonic matters. A large volume of detailed data was laid before the conference, in part summarizing known information and in part suggesting new lines of research for additional study. The program commenced with several papers on the PreCambrian of Scotland, Ireland, Newfoundland, and time span; (ii) structural comparisons of historical events during extended ence of Atlantic coasts or the jigsaw types of continental fit; (iv) specialized interpretations such as polar wandering, magnetic reversals, seismic and sea-floor data; and (v) faunal and radiometric similar‘ties. In general it was agreed that the Canadian Maritime Provinces and the British Isles are remarkably alike in many geologic respects, with differences being less prominent than their similarities. At the same time there was some sentiment that Newfoundland is more like Ireland than Labrador or the American mainland, while Ireland resembles Newfoundland more than it does Scotland. There was no strong anti-drift of various Atlantic islands; and a sug- of magnetic reversals. One speaker discussed the need to analyze the types of evidence for continental drift, suggesting that a linear variable which could be identified on one side of the Atlantic and continued on the other might be more impressive and convincing than mere physical re- semblances which could arise from a common history without requiring ac- tual proximity. The field trip to New Worid Island, 40 miles north of Gander, was attend- ed by most participants who examined New England, with emphasis on the radiometric age, structure, and metamorphism of such rocks as the Lewisian, Torridonian, Grenville, and early Dalradian series. This discussion was followed by similar regional analyses of the Cambrian and Ordovician rocks sentiment, although some items sup- and volcanic rocks that were strongly folded, variously intruded, thrust fault- speakers took no stand pro or con. ly The suggestion was made that the showed transcurrent movement. One of cial emphasis on their similarities, geologic and faunal histories, magnetism, resents the whole of the tectonic process involved, and that a better term Atlantic continuation of one of the around the North Atlantic, with spe- 1368 porting drift were questioned and many term “continental drift” no longer rep- Ordovician and Silurian sedimentary ed, and subsequently broken by steep- dipping faults many of which the latter is the Lukes Arm fault which can be suspected of being 4 transSCIENCE, VOL. 158