46 GEOLOGY OF THE ISLE OF WIGHT. 



valleys, the sides of which are composed of bright- white sand and 

 sand-rock. 



A remarkably coarse grit has been already described as occur- 

 ring at the base of this series near Blackwater ; a somewhat 

 similar bed may be noticed in a lane south of Sandford, but not 

 elsewhere. The clay-bed of Roufl, however, referred to above, 

 seems to have been well developed at Sandford, where it was 

 formerly worked for bricks, and where it is still exposed to 

 a depth of 8 feet. An outlier of the Sand-rock Series occurs 

 here, its top capped with gravel, its sides showing the usual white 

 sand soil, while a line of springs around its base marks the 

 position of the clay-bed. 



Crossing the Wroxall stream, we find a sand-pit near Winstone, 

 showing 10 feet of white sand, and another by the side of the 

 railway half a mile east of Winstone, presenting more than 18 feet 

 of white sand with thin lines of clay. The neighbouring railway 

 cutting is much overgrown, but reveals some white sand in the 

 upper part. The base of the series is marked near Rill by a fall 

 ill the ground and the issue of springs. 



In Apsecastle Wood and the adjoining valleys, the features of 

 the Sand-rock Series are finely shown, a remarkably good section 

 having been opened out in the railway cuttings. We may con- 

 veniently take up the description at the east end of the cuttings, 

 where we left it in speaking of Shanklin. It will be remembered 

 that two clay-beds occur in Knock Cliff. The upper appears 

 to be the one worked in a brick-pit west of Gatten, where, how- 

 ever, it seems to be impersistent. The lower bed is worked by the 

 side of the railway at Lower Hide, where it is a stiff dark-blue 

 clay. The sand between the two beds is dug in a pit on the opposite 

 of the line, which exposes : — 



Feet. 

 Brown irony sand - - -- -4 to 6 



Coarse grit or fine gravel - - - - 1 to 3 



White sand - - - - - -14+ 



The railway cutting commencing 500 yards east of Lower Hide 

 gives a more complete section of these sands and of the upper 

 clay, which has here again developed itself. A descending section 

 runs as follows : — 



Railway Cutting three-quarters of a mile west of Shanklin. 



Feet. 

 Dark clayey sand - - -_ ' . . ' ^ 



Dark-green sandy clay with scattered grit and pyritised 

 wood - - - - - - 15 



Brown pebbly and ferruginous grit with wood, about - 4 

 White sand with black grains - - - - 2 



Hard brown peljbly rock - - - - 2 



Coarse brown grit with numerous concretions - - 5 



Grey sand or white sand with black grains - - 5 



White sand-rock with bright-yellow and brown staining 14 

 Dark sands ------ 3-|- 



