THE 



GEOLOGICAL MAGAZINE. 



NEW SERIES. DECADE IV. VOL. VII. 



No. III.— MARCH, 1900. 



o:Ei,XG-xi<rj^Xj j^i^TiGLiHie, 



I. — A Contribution to Post-Glaoial Geology. 

 By T. Mellard Reade, C.E., F.G.S., F.R.I.B.A. 

 (PLATE V.) 



FORAMINIPEBA OF THE FORMBY AND LeASOWE MaBINE BeDS. 



IN 1871 I read a paper before the Liverpool Geological Society 

 describing the extensive and interesting submarine forests 

 and associated Post-Glacial beds that occur fringing the coasts 

 of Cheshire and of South- West Lancashire.^ 



The first known description of these fossil forests was in the 

 Gentleman's Magazine for 1796.- Since then they have been 

 described by Mr. G. H. Morton in his " Geology of the Neighbour- 

 hood of Liverpool," by the late Mr. Charles Potter, and others, and 

 by Mr. C. E. De Ranee in the Memoirs of the Geological Survey ; 

 and have formed the theme of vigorous controversy on many 

 occasions at the meetings of the Liverpool Geological Society. 



In the paper referred to it was my endeavour to describe and map 

 out the relations of the various beds over the whole area from the 

 inouth of the Dee to the mouth of the Ribble, and to show that they 

 were only a part of an extensive series of beds of the same age 

 extending round the British Isles and the opposite coasts of France 

 and Belgium. 



Since the paper was written I have had many opportunities of 

 checking the accuracy of the work and of testing the conclusions 



' " The Geology and Physics of the Post-Glacial Period, as shown in the Deposits 

 and Organic Remains in Lancashire and Cheshire" : Proc. Liverpool Geol. Soc, 

 Session 1871-72, pp. 36-88, illustrated with four coloured plates of maps and 

 sections. See also Geol. Mag., Vol. IX, pp. 111-119. 



- Since writing the above I have foimd an earlier mention of them in Dr. Aikin's 

 " Description of the Country from Thirty to Forty Miles round Manchester," 

 published in 1795. In describing Sephton parish he says : " Along the sea-shore, 

 and near the Grange land-mark, are the stumps of several large trees, which, by 

 being in a line and at equal distances, were undoubtedly planted : whence it would 

 seem as if formerly either the climate was not so rough, or the sea did not advance 

 so far, since there would now be no possibility of raising trees in the same situation. 

 It appears, however, as if the sea had formerly overrun a good deal of this country, 

 from the strata of sea-slutch, moss, sand, and shells found in various parts ; and 

 the sea now again seems retiring." 



DECADB IV. — VOL. TII. — NO. III. 7 



