ON THE PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF 



from below disturbed the order, and produced those upheay- 

 ings of the land which we now observe. A number of trap 

 dykes may be observed protruding themselves through the 

 sandstone in various parts of the neighbourhood — as at St. 

 Domingo-lane and Mere-lane, at Everton, &c; and on the 

 face of the rock on the north side of St. Augustine's church, 

 there is a large fracture running eastwards, shewing an eleva- 

 tion of the stratum on one side of three or four feet above- 

 that on the other side of the fracture. Many similar instances 

 are to be found in the district. Thus was formed the low 

 range of hills (none exceeding three hundred feet above the 

 level of the sea) in Wirral, which run nearly due north and 

 south, and have their escarpements, with one or two excep- 

 tions, towards the west. One of the most striking exceptions 

 is Flaybrick or Bidston-hill, where the escarpement is towards 

 the east. The strike of the rock is towards the south-west; 

 and, though the angle of inclination varies considerably, 

 the general dip of the strata is from seven to eight degrees to 

 the south-eastward. At Storeton-hill there is an anticlinal 

 fault at the axis of elevation, and the strata dip at the same 

 angle on each side. Thus also was formed the depression in 

 the Mersey, the rising ground upon which a part of Liverpool 

 stands, and the valley which runs near to Huyton, not to men- 

 tion subordinate depressions and elevations. 



Above the sandstone we meet with clay, forming unconform- 

 able beds, of very variable thickness, attaining along the shores 

 of the Mersey, as at Seacombe and Egremont, a depth of 

 above thirty feet, whilst near the Magazines it assumes a regu- 

 larly stratified appearance, the lowest stratum being about four- 

 teen feet in thickness, and the uppermost (which is much 

 finer, and free from the large angular fragments of sandstone 

 found in the lower stratum) being less than two feet. In some 

 places it forms a mere superficial covering. This clay con- 

 tains an innumerable quantity of rounded boulders of various 

 sizes, from three feet in diameter to the smallest pebble. It 

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