456 Notices of Memoirs — Brit ink Association — 



a vertical position for some miles. In South Staffordshire all the 

 Carboniferous rocks, including the " Salopian Permian," are involved 

 in this and the previously mentioned movement, proving that both 

 disturbances vs^ere of post-Curboniferous date. 



Traced southwards this disturbed belt leads to Abberley, and 

 there connects itself witli the well-known Malvernian axis. The 

 broken belt known by that name runs north and south, and may 

 be followed almost continuously from Worcestershire to Bristol. 

 It presents evidence of having been a line of weakness through 

 a large part of the world's history, as shown by Professor Groon^ 

 and of having yielded repeatedly to earth-stresses ; but there is 

 seldom difficulty in distinguishing the movements which were 

 effected during the period under consideration. For example, near 

 and south of Abberley the Coal-measures are clearly involved 

 in a thrust from the east, which was sufficiently energetic to turn 

 over a great belt of Old Ked Sandstone and other rocks beyond 

 verticality for some miles. Further south, again, among repeated 

 proofs of the ridging up of the old axis in several pre-Carboniferous 

 periods, we find evidence of post-Carboniferous elevation along the 

 same general line. Throughout this same region there has been 

 also post-Triassic dislocation, which, however, is on a comparatively 

 small scale. That the Carboniferous rocks were greatly disturbed 

 before the Trias was laid down is proved by the great unconformity 

 between the two formations. 



The Malvernian axis continues southward by Newent, but perhaps 

 with diminishing intensity. On its west side a broad syncline rolls 

 in the tract of Carboniferous rocks which underlies the Forest 

 of Dean. The syncline trends north and south, and is shown to 

 be of pre-Triassic age by the fact that the Triassic strata on the 

 banks of the Severn do not share in the synclinal structure. Here 

 we must leave the Malvernian axis for the present. 



The fourth disturbance ranges along the Lickey Hills, which, 

 diminutive as they are, tell a story of great geological significance, 

 Thejr range in a south-south-easterly direction, and in the fact that 

 they are formed of extremely ancient rocks furnish evidence of 

 immense upheaval. From the relations of these ancient formations 

 to one another we may gather also that the upheaval was due to 

 a recurrence of movement along the same axis at more than one 

 geological date, but at the same time we find no difficulty in 

 distinguishing that part of the movement which took place between 

 Carboniferous and Triassic times, for the Coal-measures are tilted 

 up on end along the flanks of the axis, while the Trias passes 

 horizontally over all the tilted rocks. A clue to the southward 

 extension of the axis under the Secondary rocks is furnished by some 

 faulting as far as Eedditch, here also there having been a renewal 

 of movement on a small scale in post-Triassic times. 



The fifth disturbance runs through Warwickshire, and includes 

 the low ridge of ancient rocks which ranges through Atherstone 

 and Nuneaton in a south-easterly direction. About fifteen miles 

 to the north-east Archaean rocks form the parallel ridge or series 



