THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



20c 



SANDY LANDS OF SURREY. 



Chalk is the geological base of the county of Surrey, 

 of which deposit the central elevation occurs at Salis- 

 bury, sending branches in difierent directions. A largo 

 branch, called the North Downs, runs through the 

 county of Surrey, and through Kent by Canterbury, 

 forming, in the ternaination, the stupendous clifls oi 

 Dover. Another branch ends in Beachy Head, form- 

 ing the South Downs, and, along with the North 

 Downs, enclosing the Weald district of Surrey, Kent, 

 and Sussex. The northern declination of the North 

 Downs dips beneath tlie London basin, being first 

 covered by the plastic clay, which is overlapped by the 

 London clay, and this covered near to the river by a 

 fre?h-water alluvium. On the southern side, the chalk 

 is covered on the top and side by the plastic clay, which 

 dips beneath the London clay that fills the valley. A 

 low range of sand hills follows the chalk almost through 

 its whole course, dividing the valley of London clay 

 from the Wealden deposit, which occupies the country 

 southwards from the rocks of sandstone. This deposit 

 of rock overlies the oolite, and supports the chalk, be- 

 ing the third sandstone in the geological ascent. It 

 is called thequartzy sandstone, from the composition, 

 in particles, of white quartz cemented by a calcareous 

 base, or united without any cement, and frequently 

 contain scales of mica and imbedded grains, and por- 

 tions of a green substance of the nature of chlorite or 

 angite. The quartz particles are sometimes so arranged 

 and connected that the sandstone is as massy and com- 

 pact as quartz, while in other instances it occurs in the 

 state of loose grains of sand. The following subordi- 

 nate beds have been distinguished — lead-coloured clay, 

 micaceous and sandy blackish clay, and iron sand. The 

 rock frequently contains imbedded contemporaneous 

 masses of chert ; and the same mineral also occurs in 

 beds, and sometimes the sand and chert are traversed 

 by veins of chalcedony. Thin beds of coal are some- 

 times contained in it, but are of no value in an econo- 

 mical point of view. 



This rock of sandstone is divided into the upper and 

 lower beds by an intervening argillaceous deposit, 

 called the "gault or golt" clay. The upper bed is 

 called the green sand, from the abundance in it of the 

 green silicate of iron ; and the lower bed is called the 

 iron sand, from the presence of the black oxide of iron. 

 The upper green sand constitutes the malm rock or 

 fire-stono of common use, green, grey, or white in 

 colour, with nodules of chert. J^he gault clay abounds 

 in shells, and affords a rich treat to the conchologist. 

 The lower sand contains deposits of ochre and fuller's 

 earth, with layers of chert, local beds of gault, and 

 rocks of chalky orcherty limestone. The whole for- 

 mation of sandstone is about 600 feet thick. 



The stones of this rock are not very useful. The lime- 

 stones are cherty, short in the breakage, and round in 

 the clearage. The sandstones are of the same nature, and 

 though used for building walls, the corners are done 

 with bricks, as the stones do not receive any square 

 form or shape. The cherty limestones of the upper bed, 

 the sandstones of the lower bed, and the rigstone of 

 Kent, are all of this particled nature, short and abrupt 

 in the aggregation. 



This sandstone deposit of rock is most regularly 

 stratified, but the beds or laminoe are not so extensive 

 as among the older formations. In the green sands, 

 beds are rarely traceable, except where clay and lime- 

 stones nvo intervened and introduco this structure 



among the sands. In other cases the layers of chert 

 nodules, or thin chert beds, mark the successive stages 

 of deposition. Where none of these causes exist, oblique 

 laminations and concretionary geodes, and other arrange- 

 ments of oxide of iron, render it almost vain to look for 

 stratification. Still, the evidence is the clearest possible 

 of regular deposition from water, and of a slow and 

 quiet accumulation. 



The third sandstone, either in the upper or lower beds, 

 accompanies the chalk formation in its progress over 

 England. In a long course it encircles the Wealds of 

 Surrey, Kent, and Sussex, when the general character 

 is attended with some local peculiarities of interest. 

 The south side diminishes in interest, but the northern 

 range is generally elevated and remarkably continuous 

 by Reigate and Maidstone, to Folkstone and Hythe. 

 At Leith Hill is a broad plateau: the rock is ferruginous 

 at Reigate : at Nutfield are beds of fuUer's-earth: from 

 Maidstone to Folkstone the rock contains an abundance 

 of green grains and nodules of whitish limestone, which 

 is sometimes chalky and often clierty with green grains, 

 and considerably rich in fossils. These beds are called 

 Kentish ragstone, and much used in buildings, some 

 stones being of a dark grey colour, very hard, full of 

 green grains, rich in fossils, some of which are found in 

 the upper green sand. The cherty beds of Leith Hill 

 and Haslemere are probably the representatives of these 

 calcareo-siliceous layers. 



The widely spread and deep working denudation, 

 which swept the deposit of chalk from off the whole 

 Wealden formation over which it had extended, exposed 

 the green sands at Reigate and westwards, exhibited 

 the gault clay at Godstone, where it is called " black 

 land," and showed the lowest bed on the iron sands at 

 Limpsfield and Westerham, all being done in the 

 eastern progress from the central elevation of chalk. 

 The first decompositions of the rock, on parting with 

 the chalk, form good lands, asatFarnham, beingmixtures 

 with sands and chalks ; the further progress exhibits 

 green sands at Reigate, mostly poor soils, and many 

 altogether worthless ; lower down, the gault clay is ex- 

 posed at Godstone, forming a very untractable soil, and 

 eastward the iron sand appears by Oxted, Limpsfield, 

 and Westerham. Along this course, the land or clay 

 fills the northern valley to the base of the chalk range ; 

 the Wealden clay overlaps the southern tail of the sand- 

 stones, and these bodies being mixed into the sands 

 affords in some places modified soils of a fair quality. 

 The northern side yields the better lands from the Lon- 

 don clay. These lands occupy the sides of the rock 

 at any openings which run across the deposit. 



The estate of Titsey, belonging to W. Levescn 

 Gower, Esq., stretches north to south across the inter- 

 vening formations from the chalk into the Wealden 

 clay. Batley Hil'., on the top of the North Down 

 range of chalk, is 880 feet above sea level : the southern 

 top and the side of the chalk are covered by the plastic 

 clay, of which a most viscous quality is seen on the 

 farms of Pilgrim's Lodge and Tandridge Court, about 

 a mile eastwards from the seat of the proprietor. The 

 plastic deposit dips beneath the London bed of clay, 

 which occupies the valley, and overlaps the tail of the 

 sandstone rock which runs in a range of low bills par- 

 rallel to the chalk. At the upper south end of the 

 village of Limpsfield, which stands on the north de- 

 clension of the sandstone deposit, there is a conical hill 

 of sind, that has been excavated to be used in mising 



