316 Geological Society, 



of England, occurring rarely, and in thin stripes. There is no trace 

 of the '* niuschelkalk" beneath these marls, and they uniformly 

 graduate downwards into sandstone. 



II. " Red Sandstone and Conglomerates !' — The country north of 

 Shrewsbury affords the largest development of thick-bedded sand- 

 stones, of grey and reddish colours, in the hills of Hawkstone,Wern, 

 Grinshill, Nesscliff, &c. Ores of copper and manganese, with 

 sulphate of strontian, and chalcedony are of partial occurrence. 

 This group extends into Staffordshire and the east of Shropshire, 

 where it contains many bands of quartzose conglomerates, the dis- 

 integration of which gives a wild and sterile character to large tracts. 

 In other parts, particularly north and south of Kidderminster, where 

 the pure sandy beds prevail, are large districts of rye land, which 

 exhibit an agricultural character quite distinct from that of any 

 of the groups either above or below. In the southern parts of 

 Worcestershire these red sandstones and conglomerates are con- 

 cealed by a thick covering of gravel, and in Gloucester they are re- 

 duced to a very narrow band. The division into thick beds, false 

 lamination, and want of cohesion, are the characters of this group. 



III. ** Calcareous Conglomerates'' — In North Worcester and Salop 

 calcareous conglomerates, forming natural escarpments and dipping 

 beneath the above sandstones, are supposed to occupy the place of 

 the dolomitic conglomerate of the south-west, or magnesian lime- 

 stone of the north-east, of England. They are largely burnt for 

 lime to the east of the Lickey and Clent Hills, where they are of 

 irregular thicknesses. These strata are repeated at Enville, the 

 Bowells, and at Coton, &c., between Kidderminster and Bridg- 

 north. 



The chief imbedded fragments are of limestone, which at Coton 

 and the Bowells being sometimes oolitic, are supposed to have been 

 derived from Orelton and the Clee Hills. Fragments of old red sand- 

 stone, quartz, and coal grits with impressions of plants, occur in 

 the impure beds which pass into calcareous grits. This calca- 

 reous conglomerate can only be partially detected in the red sand- 

 stone of Apley, Nedge Hill and Lilleshall terraces, which form the 

 eastern boundary of the coal-field of Coalbrook-dale ; and similar 

 slender bands, around the Dudley coal-field, may possibly be com- 

 posed of the same conglomerate. In the west of Shropshire these 

 strata swell out into a distinct ridge of about two miles in length, 

 extending from Cardeston to Alberbury, where they have been 

 mentioned in previous abstracts by Professor Sedgwick* and by the 

 author, and where they put on many of the characters of the 

 dolomitic conglomerate and contain nests lined with crystals of 

 dolomite. 



IV. <' Loiuer New Red Sandstone." — In Worcester and Salop the 

 natural escarpment above alluded to exhibits sandstone and argilla- 

 ceous marls, sometimes of great thickness, underlying the calcareous 

 conglomerate. As these are seen in several places to pass down con- 

 formably into the coal-measures, the author identifies them with the 



* Geol. Proceedings, vol. i. p. 345. 



