l6o THE BURNING CLIFF AT LYME REGIS. 



greater weight above it and more water flows through it over the 

 surface of the Lias. Hence on the west side of Lyme, landslips 

 have generally occurred during periods of heavy rainfall, and 

 have been due to the sliding of the Greensand and the super- 

 incumbent Chalk over the surface of the clays below. East of 

 Lyme the slips take place in the Lias itself: and if records of 

 former slips had been kept, it would probably be found that most 

 of them occurred during spells of dry weather. 



A view of the burning cliff at Hoi worth (Plate 4), from a 

 contemporary print, has been inserted for comparison with that 

 of Lyme Regis (Plate 3). Holworth is on the cost of Ringstead 

 Bay, near Osmington, and the cliff there consists of Kimmeridge 

 Clay. An account of the phenomena is given in Damon's 

 Geology of Weymouth (edition of 1884, p. 57). 



Similar combustion is also said to have occurred in the Lias 

 cliffs near Charmouth in 1751 (Op. cit, p. 58). 



