92 REPORT—1874. 
form at the ordinary temperature, with that of these heated masses of fire-clay and 
with columnar basalt which has undoubtedly cooled from a fluid state. 
On the Permian Breccias of the Country near Whitehaven. 
By R. Russert, C.H., F.GS., HM. Geological Survey. 
The subject of this brief notice is the Permian breccia of the district near White- 
haven. 
Besides its exposure on the coast at Barrowmouth, many detached patches of this 
breccia occur further inland, between Bigrigg Moor and Rowrah, being much more 
largely developed over the latter area than itis at the former place. The section at 
Barrowmouth is well known, but in the latter district it has not previously been 
described in any published memoir. 
The author considered :—Ist, its occurrence ; 2nd, its composition; 3rd, its forma- 
tion. 
Ist. From the coast it rises rapidly along the cliff to the top of the ridge, and 
winding round by Preston Hows runs down into the St. Bees valley near Stanley 
Engine; on the opposite side of the valley it shows itself in Parkhouse Beck, 
whence it extends from Lund Moor by Pallaflat to Egremont. The line thus 
roughly traced is the northern boundary of the main portion of the Permian rocks, 
which, dipping to the south-west, extend southward into the Furness district. 
Northwards the St. Bees sandstone is brought in from Scalegill Hall to north of 
Summer Grove by the Crowgarth and Ingwell faults, and the breccia crops out 
from under this sandstone in the valley near Keekle cottage. It also occupies a 
narrow strip between two parallel faults, having a N.W. and a S.E. direction, ex- 
tending from Frizington Hall across Weddiker to north of Walkmill Bridge. West 
of Frizington Hall a fault puts in the St. Bees sandstone at Rheda, but on the 
upcast side of the fault east of Rheda the breccia forms a well-marked ridge from 
near Millyeat to Howgate. 
Fastwards it again occurs on the downcast side of the Yeathouse fault, and is 
seen in the Whitehaven, Cleator, and Egrement Railway near Yeathouse station 
gradually to pass up into the Permian sandstone, the angle of dip being 15° at 
N. 58° W. It extends to the north-east until it is cut off by the continuation of 
the Croft’s fault through Kirkland How, but is once more brought in on the 
north-east of the Arlecdon fault, forming a partial outlier from Rowrah Head by 
Ashby Banks and St. Michael’s Church to Arlecdon. 
It is also found near the top of Steel Brow, and between Blenkett Rigg and High 
Tutehill, and near Gilgarran. 
The section at Barrowmouth shows the unconformity of the breccia to the under- . 
lying strata most distinctly, inasmuch as the surface of the Whitehaven sandstone 
is water-worn, and the lower bed of the breccia lies in and fills up those eroded 
hollows. This is still more marked between Barrowmouth and Egremont, where 
it overlaps Coal-measures, Grits, Carboniferous Limestone, and finally rests on Lower 
Silurians, east of the last-named place. 
2nd, its composition—The material of which this breccia is composed consists 
of small angular and subangular fragments of Carboniferous Limestone (in some in- 
stances partially dolomitized), quartzose sandstone, altered ashes, greenstone, clay- 
slate, vein quartz and syenite, imbedded in a limy and sandy matrix, and cemented 
by peroxide of iron, sometimes so firm and hard that the imbedded fragments will 
cut through along with the matrix in which they are enclosed when the rock is 
broken, in other cases so loose and friable that each individual fragment can easily 
be detached from the main mass. While it is generally made up of the rocks above 
mentioned, it varies from a breccia consisting of large angular pieces of Carboni- 
ferous Limestone, to that in which the contained rocks are clay-slate and altered 
ashes. 
5rd, its formation — Notwithstanding the angular and subangular character of the 
pebbles, there is much regularity in the stratification, and the distinct bedding 
shows that the materials must have been deposited in deep and still water; so that 
we cannot ascribe their formation to the transporting power of running water or 
