430 Geological Conditions ascertained from 



calcareous clay with mica, without the laminated character 

 so apparent in the south section : excavated 6 ft. 



Southern Section. — 1. Brown clay, with boulders, &c. : 

 6 ft. 2. Light-coloured sand, and pebbles of flint, that are 

 chiefly not larger, generally speaking, than boys' marbles : 

 1 ft. 3. Yellow clay, in fine horizontal laminae, and irregular 

 thin concretions of carbonate of lime in some of the strata 

 seams : 6 ft. 4. Blue clay and fine sand, alternating in hori- 

 zontal laminae, so thin, that thirty-three of them lie in the space 

 of 1 1 in. : excavated 6 ft. ; whole depth unknown. 



Organic remains have not yet been found in this part of 

 the field, fno acb «.qa cnibuh/I .ihov/ aVioJiuT ni bsiugft Jon 



The flat concretions of whitish limestone, found in the 

 yellow clay beds of the south section, appear to be an inci- 

 pient formation of carbonate of lime. On its first removal 

 from the bed, some of it is so soft as to be easily cut with a 

 knife,, while some portions of it are harder. But the softest, 

 after removal, and by the action of the atmosphere, becomes 

 as hard as white lias, and much like that kind which is called 

 Cottam marble, but without its dendritical appearances. Care 

 is taken to remove these concretions of limestone from the 

 clay by washing it, previously to moulding it up for bricks, 

 tiles, and various other architectural objects, as material for 

 forming which it is commonly used; but, if by chance any of 

 the concretions are moulded up with the clay into the articles 

 manufactured, they, in passing through the burning in the 

 kiln, become burnt into lime ; and the proprietor of the works 

 has informed me that such articles are useless. 



There is much calcareous matter in the whole mass of this 

 clay ; and, with regard to the calcareous concretions, they are 

 quickly decomposed in diluted muriatic acid. From what we 

 see here passing under our notice, it appears most satis- 

 factorily to those who love to contemplate this subject, that, 

 whether nature produces this excess of lime, or calcareous 

 matter, in one part of this formation more than in another, by 

 the laws of chemical affinity, or by whatever process, it is not 

 straining analogy too far to conclude, that many of our strati- 

 fied argillaceous limestones are produced in a similar way. 

 On looking at this southern section (although it is on a com- 

 parative small scale), with its fine wavy, although generally 

 horizontal, layers, and the incipient formation of some of 

 the layers into limestone, I am strongly reminded (as far 

 only as the laws of stratification are concerned) of the ho- 

 rizontal strata of the lias in the cliffs at Lyme Regis, Dorset- 

 shire, Barrow on Soar, in Leicestershire, and many other 

 localities which I could mention ; but especially at the former 



