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AN INTERESTING GEOLOGICAL DISCOVERY. 



By the Rev. J. C. Fowler, b.a.. f.g.s. 



An addition has recently been made to the old churchyard 

 at Whorlton of half an acre, on a slope, at the west side facing 

 the village of Swainby. In the process of digging the drains, 

 eight of which were made, draining into a main drain at the 

 bottom, a uniform depth of 6ft. of drift clay was found full of 

 boulders, except at the N.E. corner where the shale was 

 met with in a confused mass nearer to the surface. 



In the third cutting from the road near the top. the drainers 

 found a tree stump at the depth of 6ft. from the surface, the 

 stump was about 2ft. high and the roots were in the shale 

 below ; the drainers broke off the stump and left the roots in 

 the shale and the stump is now in my possession. 



The tree was evidently about 15 or 16 inches diameter 

 at the bottom, and the stump is in a rotten condition, 

 some of the wood is st'l 1 hard and black and appears to be 

 oak, but of tin* I can say nothing positive; 'the Interest'Jig 

 thing about it is that it was found as it grew, overwhelmed 

 by glacial drift 6ft. deep. These shales are Lower Lias. 



Before the glacial period the physical geography of this 

 country was in the main as we see it now, the chief features 

 not being greatly altered. It is quite certain, however, 

 that the outline of the Cleveland Hills extended much further 

 north than at present, a large part being worn away by 

 glacial action, especially that of the melting ice streams. 

 It would appear that this tree grew at the close of the glacial 



