2 GEOLOGY OF THE ISLE OF WIGHT 



got in. Some of the rocks are sandstone, much like the 

 sand on the sea shore, but they are harder, and their 

 particles are stuck together. Does sand on a sea shore 

 ever become hard like rock, so that shells buried in it are 

 found afterwards in hard rock ? Now we are getting the 

 key to a secret. We are learning the way to read the 

 story of the rocks. How ? In this way. Look around 

 you. See if anything like this is happening to-day. Then 

 you will be able to read the story of what happened long, 

 long ago, of how this world came to be as it is to-day. 

 We have asked a question about the sandstone. What 

 about the clays and the limestone ? As before, what is 

 happening to-day ? Is limestone being made anywhere 

 to-day, and are shells being shut up in it ? Are shells in 

 the sea being covered up with clay, with mud, and more 

 shellfish living on the top of that ; and then, are they, too, 

 being covered up ? So that in years to come they will 

 be found in layers of clay and stone like those we have 

 been looking at in quarry and sea cliff ? 



We have asked our questions. Now we must look 

 around, and see if we can find the answers. After it has 

 been raining heavily for two or three days go down to 

 the marshes of the Yar, and stand on one of the bridges 

 over the stream. We have seen it flowing quite clear on 

 some days. Now it is yellow or brown with mud. Where 

 did the mud come from ? Go into a ploughed field with 

 a ditch by the side. Down the ditch the rain water is 

 pouring from the field away to the stream. It is thick 

 with mud. Off the ploughed field little trickles of water 

 are running into the ditch. Each brings earth from the 

 field with it. Off all the country round the rain is trickling 

 away, carrying earth into the ditches and on into the 

 stream, and the stream is carrying it down into the sea. 

 Now think. After every shower of rain earth is carried 

 off the land into the sea. And this goes on all the year 

 round, and year after year. If it goes on long enough ? 



