74 



NOTES ON THE GRAVEL IN EPPING FOREST. 



Bv T. HAY WILSON. 



OINCE Mr. Whitaker's work on the "Geology of London" was 

 "^ issued, some new sections have been made in various parts of 

 the Forest, north of Chingford, which I have been able to examine 

 from time to time, and it has been suggested that a few notes of my 

 observations might be of some interest to the geological members of 

 the Club. 



Sec/ion at " Copt Hall." One of these sections I was able 

 to examine by the kindness of Mr. Jennings, the agent of the 

 " Copt Hall " estate. It is in " Warren Wood," nearly opposite the 

 Forest Camp, Ambresbury Banks : its position is practically indicated 

 on the Drift Map of the Geological Survey by the letter " L." in 

 " Loam," where a very good section has been opened. A little 

 farther north-east, in the same wood, a good deal more gravel has 

 been dug out, and the siftings are still there. This gravel differs 

 from that of the neighbouring pits at " Jack's Hill," classed by 

 Professor Prestwich^ as " Westleton Beds " inasmuch as the pebbles 

 of quartz and quartzite are of considerable size, and there are also 

 large flints, some worn and others unworn. Some of the larger 

 blocks of hard, weathered sandstone contained about 300 cubic 

 inches. The bulk of the gravel is of well-rolled flints, and the small 

 quartz pebbles, found at " Coopersale Common " and " Jack's Hill" 

 (Westleton) are not plentiful. The section is about 5 feet deep, and 

 the gravel lies in festoons, the upper part being close to the surface 

 of the ground ; the sandy matrix is reddish brown in colour, bleaching 

 to grey when exposed. 



''Earl's Path," High Beach. At the side of the "Earl's 

 Path," between High Beach and Loughton, a large quantity of 

 gravel has been excavated, to a depth of about 15 feet from the 

 surface. The sandy matrix is somewhat similar to that in " Warren 

 Wood." Quartz and quartzites of a good size are common, but not 

 the small pebbles of the "Westleton Beds" type. Large flints of 

 all shapes are also plentiful, and small rolled pebbles reach to the 

 surface ; they are not, however, as close together as they are lower 

 down. The larger flints are in the lowest position. 



I Quart. Journal Geol. Soc. May 1S90, (vol. .\lvi.). 



