74 



the passage beds are gradually blended into each other, so that the 

 " muscbelkalk" must have been a contemporary formation, dependent 

 upon some peculiar causes. 



Further east there is a fault (No. 7) throwing up the lower beds of 

 the " coarse red sandstone and conglomerate " to the base of the 

 " waterstones" about 700 feet. Birkenhead is situated upon this, the 

 former sub-division. It dips eastwards at angles of 8 and 10 degrees 

 at Tranmere, where there are numerous points of observation. It con- 

 sists of hard red sandstones, separated at intervals of every 3 or 4 yards 

 by bands of a whitish friable sandstone, and sometimes of marl : pebbles 

 occur throughout. With ver\' few exceptions the building stones used 

 in this neighbourhood are procured from the " coarse red sandstone' 

 and the " waterstones" — the red from the former, and the white, used 

 for public buildings, from the latter. Under Birkenhead the sandstone 

 is obscured by drift. It can, however, be seen at each side of the Mersey, 

 which flows over it. At Liverpool the Dock works, and that part of the 

 town to the west of the Custom-house and Exchange, cover it. There is 

 then a fault, (No. 8) a do\\ii-throw to the east, bringing in the " upper 

 soft red &c. &c."' upon which a considerable part of the town is situated. 

 At St. James's Cemetery it is covered by the " waterstones" ; the base- 

 ment beds can be seen there. Further east, just at the outskirts of the 

 town, (by Shaw-street, Chatham-street, &c.) there is a great up-throw 

 fault to the east (No. 9), about 700 feet, bringing up the " coarse red 

 sandstone, &c., the base being about level with that of the " water- 

 stones." The numerous quarries open along the side of the hill caused 

 by this great up-throw of hard sandstone, render great facilities for 

 examination. The lowest visible beds are pi'obably those near Kirk- 

 dale, where a light coloured sandstone, with pebbles, much resembles 

 that of HUbre Island ; if the conglomerate is present it is only a few 

 yards lower down. The sandstone retains its usual character, and 

 declines east for two-thirds of a mile at an angle of about 3 degrees. 



In the valley beyond Edge-hill this sandstone sub-division dips under 

 the " upper soft red and variegated sandstone." East of Wavertree 

 Bridge the strata is obscured by a considerable depth of boulder-clay, that 

 fiUs the hollow caused by denudation, Approaching Olive Mount there 

 are two or more faults, the " coaree red sandstone" being thrown up to the 

 east (No. 10) : a fine section is obtained from the railway cuttiug. The 

 marl partings can be traced for considerable distances, when they either 

 thin out or become blended with others. The strata are very similar 

 to that of other places ; it dips to the east, and beyond Broad Green 

 becomes invisible beneath the superficial accumulations of the valley. 

 There is little doubt but that the hard sandstone is covered I'v tbr 



