PROCliEDlNGS OF THE COTTESWOLD CLUB 239 



they drove in breaks to the hill, where they were 

 welcomed by gentlemen connected with the three 

 Companies who work the quarries. 



Professor Marker briefly explained the geological history 

 and structure of the Glee Hills. Originally the whole of 

 the district up to the level of the top of the hills was 

 occupied by the carboniferous formation, consisting of 

 strata of sand-stone, shale, coal, and limestone, resting 

 on the beds of Old Red Sandstone, on which the town 

 of Ludlow is built. 



Then came a period of violent volcanic disturbance. The 

 pent up energies below the earth's solid crust burst open 

 a crack in the superincumbent strata, and a mass of liquid 

 lava forced its way upwards through the opening nearly to 

 the surface, lifting U[) the top layers and spreading out 

 just below them into a vast sheet, which soon solidified 

 and formed a compact mass of basalt covering a consider- 

 able area of the carboniferous strata. If a complete 

 vertical section of the earth's crust could be made at this 

 point, the mass of intrusive basalt would be seen as an 

 irregular column rising from unknown depths through 

 the lower rocks and spreading over the carboniferous 

 strata like a gigantic mushroom. Then followed a period 

 of destructive rather than constructive work. Air and 

 water took the place of fire ; rains descended and winds 

 blew, and the whole of the district was by degrees carved 

 into the beautiful diversified contours which are now 

 seen. The softer strata yielded first to the attacking 

 agencies, and were worn down into valleys. The harder 

 rocks offered a more or less stubborn resistance, and have 

 remained as rising ground and hills of varied height and 

 outline. Thus, where the ancient town of Ludlow 

 stands, the whole of the carboniferous strata, nearly 2,000 

 feet thick, have been worn away, and the buildings rest 

 on the strata of the Old Red Sandstone below it. 



