18 GEOLOGY OF K.VST XOTTINGIIAM. 



SOME NEW FEATURES IN THE GEOLOGY OF 

 EAST NOTTINGHAM.- 



BY J. SniPJUJJ, ESQ. 



Any one wbo has seen the Government Geological Siu-vey map of 

 tlie Nottingham district (71 N.E.) will hardly fail to have noticed two 

 white lines stretching across the north-east of Nottingham, Those 

 white lines mark the course, or what the Government surveyors 

 beheved to be the course, of two important faults, or dislocations of 

 the rocks. The white hue nearest to Nottingham takes a straight 

 course from Colwick Wood, in the south, to Patchitt's Park, in the 

 north. The other white line describes a parabolic curve, starting 

 from the top of Sneinton Dale, sweeping round by the Hunger Hills and 

 disappearing about midway between Carrington and Sherwood. To the 

 geologist faults are peculiarly interesting, and they sometimes account 

 for a good deal of what is obscure in the physical features of a district. 

 They are the unwritten records of the aotiou, at some remote period in 

 the past, of those natural agencies which we know are ever at work 

 somewhere at great depths, producing oscillations of level in the eaiiih's 

 surface. But, apart from whatever may be the origin of faults, there are 

 some physical features connected with the curved white line which, to 

 say the least, have always been pei-plexing to those who have cared 

 to pay much attention to local geology. There has hitherto been an air 

 of mystery aboiit it, and nobody was ever able to meet with it at any part 

 of its course. Even Pi-ofessor HuU speaks disappointedly, in his work on 

 the " Triassic Rocks of the Midlands," at not being able to find the fault 

 just where it was marked to cross Woodborough Road at the end of Red 

 Lane. This fault has hitherto been an object of interest chiefly becaiise 

 it was abnoi-mal for a fault receding at both ends from the fault forming 

 the opposite side of the trough, to help to produce a do\vnthrow of the 

 rocks lying between. It %vill readily be understood, therefore, why the 

 course this fault really took should be an object of solicitude for years to 

 local geologists. Indeed, I very well remember learning some of my 

 earliest lessons in field geology while trying to trace it ; and it was 

 while engaged in the same work in the early part of this year, on account 

 of the unusual facilities afforded by excavations all over that part of 

 Nottingham, that I discovered such serious discrepancies in the Geological 

 Survey's mapping as induced me to resurvey the north-east part of what 

 formed the old borough — that is, the area Ijnng between Mansfield Road, 

 Great Alfred Street, and Coppice New Road, and the result is the map which 

 I now bring before you. In compiling tliis map, I have necessarily had to 

 fall back, to some extent, on my recollection of what was the geological 

 character of some parts now built upon, and I have found those observa- 

 tions, begun in iHfiH, verj' useful in elucidating what would otherwise 

 have been almost beyond reach. The task was far from being an easy 

 one, however pleasant field geology may be. Even where the character 

 of tlie strata was exposed by sections I found the Keuper, which fornis 

 the larger part of tlie area, extremely difficult to deal with, both in the 

 tracing of faults and in determining the boundaiy line between the 

 Upper and Lower Keuper. Rfany spots, too — geologically hallowed 

 ground, ground unusually prolific' in interesting points— had to be 



♦ Itpad boforp thp Nottincham Nattirnlists' Pociotv, Nov. 2fitli, 1S77. The paper 

 wa« illuMtrntPil with ii crolorical niai), scftioiiH, photoiharhed sketches of the main 

 luults, the sitt of the gcodes, uud of ihc conglomerate. 



