214 Geological Society. 



PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. 



GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. * 



y 



November 17th, 1909.— Prof. W. J. Sollas, LL.D., Sc.D., F.R.S., 

 President, in the Chair. 



The following communication was read : — 



' The Faunal Succession of the Upper Bernician.' 

 By Stanley Smith, M.Sc, F.G.S. 



The Bernician Series forms the upper and by far the larger 

 division of the Lower Carboniferous sequence of Northumberland, 

 and covers the greater part of the county. Below the Bernician 

 lie the Tuedian beds. The Northumberland succession, together 

 with the Lower Carboniferous rocks north of the Tweed, occupies 

 the northern extremity of the Pennine Province of the Carboniferous 

 Limestone Series, which stretches from Staffordshire into Scotland. 

 The Carboniferous strata in Northumberland encircle the Cheviots 

 on the south, east, and north, and dip from the volcanic inlier, 

 so that the general strike forms a rough semicircle round the 

 igneous massif, nearest to which consequently lie the lowest beds. 



The Bernician is mainly built up of sandstones and shales, but 

 intercalated among the arenaceous and argillaceous deposits are 

 the various beds of limestone and numerous seams of coal. 



In the Upper Bernician, the limestones are fairly thick, are 

 constant, and are truly marine. The calcareous beds of Lower 

 Bernician age are thin and impure, and frequently contain Stigmaria 

 and other plant-remains. There are a few good marine limestones, 

 but these are of local occurrence. 



The Upper Bernician, taking the Redesdale Ironstone Shale 

 as the base, answers to Tate's Calcareous Group ; while the 

 Lower Bernician is equivalent to Tate's Carbonaceous Group. 



It is with the Upper Bernician only that the present paper is 

 concerned. 



The whole of the Upper Bernician Limestones belong to the 

 Dibunophyllum-Zone, but they are capable of the following palasonto- 

 logical subdivision : — 



a = Redesdale Ironstone Sbale. 



Shallow-water fauna, mainly lamellibranchs ; corals rare. 

 Bibunophyllum near 6 has been found. 



I = Redesdale Limestone. 

 D 1 fauna. 

 Dibunophyllum 9. 

 Carcinophyllum 9 especially characteristic. 



