Introduction

This account records observations made in mid-January. 1954, during a visit to the Kakanui Range, west of Oamaru, for the purposes of mapping in detail and collecting from the more inaccessible parts of a volcanic mass occurring in the area known as Siberia Hill, and including the prominent points of Kattothyrst and Mount Dasher. I had already mapped the southern edges of this

mass in 1938 during the geological survey of Moeraki Subdivision, and the present paper completes the account of the volcanic rocks that extend northwards beyond the limits of that subdivision.

The field sheet for this investigation was based on the rather meagre information provided by Provisional 1-Mile Sheet S136 (Oamaru). Only one really reliable fixed point, namely Trig. C (G.R. 164582), is located in the area, and even this has a very limited visibility because it is situated on the south side rather than the summit of the hill. Pace and compass traversing was undertaken, but on the volcanic terrain, compass bearings were recorded with some misgiving, for differences of up to 30° were observed between forward and back sights.

Heights were recorded with a Paulin Altimeter checked back morning and evening on to Trig. C and from these, a fairly reliable set of form lines has been drawn to show the topography of the area.