1821.] Mr. Weaver on Floetz Formations, 411 



which is distributed through the mass in single scales, and its 

 planes of separation are never covered with mica ; it is free from 

 clay galls, and from drusy cavities, occupied by crystals of cal- 

 careous spar or quartz ; and it contains seams of coal, which 

 have hitherto been sought for in vain in the new red or variegated 

 sandstone. 



It is also to be observed that when the quadersandstone and 

 the new red sandstone occur in the vicinity of each other, the 

 former is always fouud above the latter, and never alternating 

 with it ; generally speaking, however, the shell limestone is 

 interposed between the two. 



In Westphalia, green sandstone appears near Unna, Werl, and 

 Soest, according to M. Hovel ; its substance being composed of 

 a medium between marl and sandstone, and containing green 

 particles. : 



In the quadersandstone of Lower Saxony, M. Haussmann 

 notices the occurrence of three distinct ferruginous, or ironstone 

 beds : The lowest consists of grey or black clay, which contains 

 a stral.um 3 } s feet thick, composed of round masses of indurated 

 ironshot clay, which are surrounded with a coating of clay iron- 

 stone, in the compact or ochry state ; and accompanied with 

 pieces of petrified wood and of pitch coal, and by ammonites, 

 belemnites, and other organic remains. 



The intermediate bed contains brown compact clay ironstone, 

 disposed in thin concentric lamina?, or mixed with minute sand 

 and scales of mica ; brown iron ochre also occurs ; the whole 

 frequently forming layers one above another, and in the aggre- 

 gate from one and a half to seven feet thick, e. g. at the Fuh- 

 regge in the Weser district. 



The most recent, or highest, bed in the formation is from 7 to 

 14 feet thick, consisting of iron-shot soft clay with grains of 

 quartz, and bearing lenticularly granular clay ironstone, accom- 

 panied by scales of mica, and a leek green substance resembling 

 steatite. Clay forms both the roof and floor of this bed. 



It is not improbable that the lenticular clay ironstone of the 

 South of Germany, and other countries, may belong to a forma- 

 tion of the same era. 



The seams of coal, which occur in the quadersandstone of 

 Lower Saxony, lie lower down, and deeper, in the series than the 

 ferruginous beds just noticed. They vary from 8 to 12 inches 

 in thickness, and repose on slate clay free from impressions of 

 vegetables, and which passes into clay marl, succeeded by sandy 

 marl, sandstone, or limestone. The coal beds consist of coarse 

 coal, which passes into slate coal. 



The thin coaly seams in the quadersandstone near Quedlin- 

 burg and Blankenburg, consist of soft clay containing slight 

 layers of coal. These are interposed between beds of slate clay, 

 free from vegetable impressions, which have sandstone both for 

 the roof and floor. In the mine GlLick-Auf are three beds of 



