By W. WHITAKER, Esq., F.R.S. 



(Abstract of Address spoken March 9th, 1899.) 



ft OAST-FORMS really depend upon the geological 

 features of the country. It is where there are 

 hard beds not easily worn away that prominent 

 points are noticeable. The Land's End is a 

 familiar instance. The reason of its existence is 

 that that particular district is composed of a hard 

 mass of granite that does not erode quickly. The 

 Lizard also projects because of tough masses 

 of serpentine and associated rocks. In short, 

 wherever there is a protuberance on the coast we may be sure 

 that there is a consolidated rock, and wherever there is a hollow 

 it is due to soft rock which is easily eroded. 



In the south-east of England, near the mouth of the Thames, 

 the projecting point in Kent is formed of the chalk. Chalk is 

 not a hard rock, but it is firm and compact, and not easily worn 

 away. This illustrates the fact that the determining cause of 

 prominence is not simply the hardness of a particular rock, but its 

 relative hardness in comparison with the adjacent rocks. Thus, 

 if a soft limestone is found associated with clays and sand, the 



