A HISTORY OF SUFFOLK 



shells such as Cyprina islandica, Cardium edule, Mya arenaria, Mactra ovalis, 

 Pectunculus glycimeris, Turritella incrassata. Purpura /apillus, and many- 

 other species. They were looked upon by the earlier observers, amongst 

 whom was C. B. Rose, as re-constructed Crag, and this view is sup- 

 ported by the fact that of more than loo species, all but two or three are 

 found in the Crag, and that these shells do not occur in the Glacial sands 

 remote from Crag regions.' Mr. Harmer, however, maintains that the 

 fauna is contemporary.^ 



The sands contain a good deal of black carbonaceous matter, or 

 comminuted lignite, that may have been derived from the Estuarine beds 

 of Yorkshire. They contain also grains of chalk and much fine chalky 

 material, especially at and near the junction with the overlying Boulder 

 Clay. On this account by the dissolution of the carbonate of lime and 

 its redeposit as a cement, the sands have been locally hardened into a 

 calcareous sandstone. Beds of this character may be seen near Lowestoft, 

 while curious concretionary columns of sandstone were met with at 

 Mutford Wood,' and large consolidated blocks were observed near 

 Coddenham.* The stone has been locally used for building purposes. 



Another feature of interest in the sands is the occurrence of 

 occasional beds of fine loam. A bed of this nature was employed in the 

 manufacture of the once famous Lowestoft china, the works being in 

 existence from 1 756-1 802.' 



West of Bury St. Edmunds there are finely-bedded sands, loams and 

 clays, much contorted in places ; while near Woolpit there is about 30 

 feet of brown laminated loam and dark bluish-grey clay, the brown loam 

 being used for the manufacture of red bricks, and the clay for the white 

 bricks for which Woolpit has been famous since the time of Queen 

 Elizabeth.' 



Of considerable geological interest are the shingle beds or beds of 

 pebbly flint gravel which occur in the sands near Fritton, Oulton, 

 Kirkley and Pakefield, and appear to be the equivalents of the mass of 

 the Westleton shingle on Westleton Common, and in the higher part of 

 Dunwich Cliff.' This is one of the controverted questions in geology. 

 It has not been doubted that the pebble gravel at Fritton, Oulton, 

 Kirkley and Pakefield is part of the Middle Glacial ; but it has been 

 maintained by Prestwich and others that the mass of shingle at Westle- 

 ton, Halesworth and Henham is older, and of early Glacial or early 

 Pleistocene age. 



There is much gravel somewhat similar in character in the upper 

 part of the Norwich Crag Series, in the subdivision termed 'Bure Valley 

 Beds,' but this is rightly regarded by Mr. F. W. Harmer as distinct 



H. B. Woodward, Proc. Geol. Assoc, ix. iii. 



Froc. Geol. Assoc, xvii. 459. 



H. K. Creed, Proc. Suffilk Inst. iv. (1872), 244. 



G. Maw, Geol. Mag. (1867), p. no. 



J. H. Blake, ' Geology of the countrj' near Yarmouth and Lowestoft,' p. 96. 



Ibid. ' Geology of the neighbourhood of Stowmarket,' p. 13. 



H. B. Woodward, Geol. Mag. (1902), p. 27. (Herein are references to other papers.) 



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