574? Geological Society, 



following section is given of the Droitwich brine pits. Red marl, 

 with much water, 40 feet ; marl with gypsum, but no water, from 

 100 to 130 feet in different pits : rock salt, not penetrated through 

 at the depth of 170 feet. A pit at the chemical and salt works at 

 Stoke Prior, four miles north of Droitwich, was sunk to the depth 

 of 460 feet, first through red marl with much water. 111 feet ; then 

 red marl with gypsum, but no water, 195 feet ; and afterwards 

 marl interspersed with salt and interstratified with four beds of rock 

 salt, 10 feet, 64^ feet, 39 feet, and 30 feet thick, respectively. 



About two miles beyond Stoke Prior, the red marl is replaced by 

 red sandstone. At the junction, the former becomes slaty and con- 

 tains thin beds of sandstone, and the latter consists of a pale brown- 

 ish or yellowish argillaceous sandstone. At Finstat, black coaly 

 impressions were noticed. About a mile north of Bromsgrove, the 

 argillaceous sandstone is succeeded by a bright red micaceous sand- 

 stone. The rise of this rock to the surface was probably pro- 

 duced by the elevation of the neighbouring Lickey range, as at Stoke 

 Prior, distant only two miles, the sandstone was not reached at the 

 depth of 460 feet. In the ascent of the Lickey, the surface con- 

 sists of coarse quartzose gravel, derived from the upper part of the 

 range. The summit level of the railway is near Barnes Green 

 Farm, and it is 384 feet above the sea. At this point a shaft was 

 sunk through the following strata : — 



Feet Inch. 



Gravelly sand 6 



Hard coarse gravel 1 6 



Fine gravel 1 



Hard coarse gravel 8 



Indurated red marl 2 



Hard coarse gravel 11 



Red sandstone 1 



Hard conglomerate 20 6 



51 0* 

 Of these beds of gravel, the author considers only the uppermost as 

 superficial gravel, and the remainder as belonging to the new red. 

 To the north of the ridge, the bright red sandstone re-appears, dip- 

 ping considerably to the east, and alternating with marl and impure 

 siliceous limestone. About a mile from the Lickey, the red marl 

 again constitutes the surface, and extends to Birmingham. 



Superficial Detritus. — ^I'he lias in the vale of Gloucester is covered 

 by 8 or 10 feet of brownish, greyish, or mottled clay and loam, 

 overlaid by thick deposits of sand and gravel, derived, in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Gloucester, Cheltenham, and some other places, from 

 the adjacent oolitic hills ; but near Bredon and to the north of that 

 village, the detritus consists of siliceous sand and pebbles. 



♦ In deep cuttings of the Worcester and Birmingham Canal, \\ mile 

 south-east of this point, Mr. Burr noticed an anticlinal axis, denudated 

 in the centre. The strata dipped south and north at considerable angles, 

 and consisted of red marl overlying red and white sandstone. 



