ON THE PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OP 



Liverpool does not stand upmi the coal measures. These last, 

 however, come to the surface, and crop out at about seven or 

 eight miles eastward of the town, near Prescot ; and at about 

 the same distance westward, near Parkgate. Thus it is rea- 

 sonably supposed that the new red sand-stone of Liverpool, 

 and of the hundred of AVirral, rests upon, and fills up a large 

 basin formed by the coal measures. Above that most import- 

 ant system rests the Poecilitic group (meaning variegated), to 

 which the rocks under, and around the town belong. But of 

 this group several members are wanting, the most important 

 of which is the Permian of Murchison ; a system which 

 formed, so to speak, in the extinction of living organisms, the 

 transition period between the palseozoic and secondary epochs. 

 We find, however, variegated marl, and the triassic system 

 or new red sandstone. This is the upper group of the PoeciUtic 

 system, embracing the " Marnes irisees" and " Ores bigarre" 

 of the Prench, and ''Keuper^' and "Bunter sandstein^' of the 

 Germans. The Muschelkalk, so abundant on the continent 

 between the Keuper and Bunder sandstein, is entirely wanting. 

 Above it, in geological series, though not met with here, rests 

 the Lias. 



The new red sandstone of Liverpool consists of various 

 strata of friable sand, marl, clay, sandstone, micaceous slaty 

 clay, and quartzoze sandstone ; these strata, of different thick- 

 nesses, being all regularly stratified with each other : their 

 prevailing hue is red, though they pass through a variety of 

 colours — from almost pure white to chocolate ; they are also 

 found yellow, blueish, green, and brown — these being often 

 curiously intermixed, and supplying to this form of the new 

 red sandstone the appropriate name of variegated sandstone. 

 Inferior to, and outlying this new red sandstone formation, 

 we find the coal measures, wliich must have been subjected to 

 considerable disturbances anterior to the deposition of the 

 triassic system, since tlie sandstone strata are unconformable 

 with tlic carboniferous system. The formation of the new rod 

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