Stratigraphical Geology. 8 1 



LlASSIC FOR.MAIIONS. 



Upper Lias Absent. 



Middle Lias ] 



Lower Li9.s - Present. 



Rha^tic or Infra-Lias j 



The Rhivtic and the Liassic beds of the north-east of 

 Ireland attracted the attention of the late Professor Ralph 

 Tate (the father of Naturalists' Field Clubs in Ireland), and 

 his work on these beds is still our chief authority on the 

 subject. His papers on these rocks were published in the 

 Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society, vol. xx, p. 103 ; 

 vol. xxiii (1867); vol. xxvi (1870). The Rha^tic and Lias 

 crop up in many places along the edge of the Antrim escarp- 

 ment, but the following localities will be found most worthy 

 of study : Colin Glen, Cave Hill, Barney's Point, Island 

 Magee, Waterloo (one mile to the north of Lame on the 

 shore), north of Garron Point in numerous landslips, White 

 Park Bay, and Portrush. 



A description of the section exposed at Waterloo will give 

 an idea of the beds. Proceeding along the shore from 

 Lame Harbour station, we pass over sands and gravels till 

 we come to the shore entrance of Drumalis ; between this and 

 the bathing-box an exposure of Upper Keuper marls is to 

 be seen below high-water mark ; in places covered with 

 gravels; the rocks are decidedly red in colour; north of the 

 bathing-box they are cut through by a dyke, near which 

 bands of gypsum may be observed in the marls. At the 

 ladies' bathing-place the marls are blue-grey, again altering 

 to red. The red stone is mottled with circular blue patches 

 containing a hard nucleus. The footpath terminates against 

 a cliff, in which a gradual transition to the White Lias or 

 Rhffitic can be traced. On the shore below Mr. Chaine's 

 grave, thin bands of black shale occur with Axinus ; the next 

 band of shale yields numerous specimens of Ajnmonites 

 p/anorlis, and the following band (about four inches thick) is 

 crowded with Ostrea liassica. Passing the limekiln to a small 

 bay, just south of some cottages on the shore, fine specimens 

 of Lima gigantea may be found weathering out of blue 

 Lias, while in the face of the bank above high-water 



