•27-2 Further Studies on the Soils of North Wales 



rounded quartz grains were subtracted the resultant soil would probably 

 be similar to the Carnarvonshire Stony Loam. These soils are, however, 

 by no means so stony as that type. 



The subsoils are generally similar in character to the soils, but it is 

 quite common to encounter beds of gravel or clay at lower levels. The 

 drift geology has been well worked out by Jehu^ from whose paper 

 most of the information about the drifts of this district is derived. 

 It is remarkable that the variety on the surface is not so great as might 

 be expected from the vertical succession in exposed cuttings. Clay 

 soils are not common; yet in most vertical successions, strata of clay 

 are recorded. The clay of the geologist is however not always the same 

 as the clay of the soil chemist. Some of the strata described as clay in 

 geological papers are not clays at al! in the strict sense of the word, 

 but rather loams. 



These soils are generally of a dark brown colour and of a good open 

 texture. They do not seem to present any special difficulties in cultiva- 

 tion. The figures given in the tables are the average of ]6 analyses. 

 As will be seen, the various fractions are fairly well balanced and the 

 complete analyses recall to some extent the figures for the Anglesey 

 Medium Loam. The dividing line between these soils and the sands and 

 gravels is purely arbitrary. We have included in this class all soils 

 with less than 50 per cent, of sand. 



The west Carnarvonshire soils as a whole may .be considered as 

 local debris with a greater or less admixture of marine drift from the 

 north. If this marine drift were absent the soils would approximate 

 closely to the Carnarvonshire Stony Loam. On the other hand where 

 the external drift predominates, the soil approaches to the ordinary 

 type of glacial sand or gravel. The present type is therefore intermediate 

 or mixed. 



4. Glacial Sands and Gravels. 



These soils are found in the eastern portion of the area and 

 also, to a less extent, in west Carnarvonshire. It is a matter of 

 considerable difficulty to define accurately the boundaries of these 

 soils as they are mixed in almost inextricable confusion with boulder 

 clay and, in the Vale of Clwyd, with alluvial de])osits. We may, however, 

 note a long belt running along the eastern side of the latter area and 

 sporadic deposits along the valleys of the Alyn and the Dee. In the 



1 "The Glacial Deposits of We.st Carnarvonshire." T.J.Jehu. Trans. Roy. Soc. Edin. 

 42, Part I, No. 2. 



