2 GLACIAL MARKINGS IN THE RED MARL. 



contorted iu a remarkable manner, as if they had been subjected to 

 an intense grinding action, and this pecuUarity I liave noticed to be 

 very common in the neighbourhood. 



The section, however, to which I especially wish to call attention 

 occurs near Small Heath, at Mr. Sames's brickworks, situated at the 

 junction of Garrison Lane and Cattell Road. When I first saw the 

 pit I put it down as merely a section of red marl, but a closer inspec- 

 tion revealed many points of interest, and that the lower part only 

 is red marl, with the usual bands of white shale. Above this is a layer 

 about three feet in thickness of an unusually hard shale or sand- 

 stone, called by the brickmakers rocJie, and surmounting all a bed of 

 very tenacious clay which varies iu thickness according to the 

 surface, but in its deepest part is about thirty feet, including about 

 four or five feet of soil and gravel. The dip of the beds is about 

 5° S.S.E., and they are faulted shortly afterwards against the 

 waterstones, the next lower division of the Trias formation. The 

 fault runs right through the town, extending in fact from Barnt 

 Green to Sutton Coldfield. The hard baud is not found else- 

 where in the neighbourhood, which is probably owing to the 

 slight dip and the fact that this clay pit is situated on the 

 highest point in the immediate locality. The height is in fact -ISOft. 

 above mean sea-level, w'liile the next elevation near is only -i'iOft., the 

 hard band indeed determining the escarpment which runs for some 

 distance as a steep hill overlooking the whole town of Birmingham. 

 The clay above the hard band contains some of the grey bauds, but 

 much twisted and broken. It is of a very diiferent quality from the red 

 marl, and bricks made from it fetch twice the price of those made 

 from the latter. 



Dr. A. Hill has very kindly made for me a chemical analysis of the 

 different beds, which I reproduce here : — 



100-66 99-70 100-46 



This analysis shows a considerable difference in the percentages 

 of silica, and alumina in the Red Marl and Boulder Clay, when 

 we take into consideration the fact that tbe samples were taken from 

 the same section, but it is uncertain whether the discrepancy can be 

 attributed to the I'esults of Glacial action. There is a remarkable 

 difference in the proportions of the soluble constituents, which might 

 possibly be caused by the dissolving out of these substances during the 

 rearrangement of the strata. We cannot learn much, however, from 



