120 A. R. Horiuood — Upper Trias of Leicestershire. 



bridge under the road to Rothley sand terminates abruptly against 

 Keu])er Marl, a feature noticeable in these drift sands. The Upper 

 Keuper Sandstone at Ratclifle is seen in the village, where it is 

 thicker than at Rothley. It ci'ops out in the west bank of the 

 Wreake, south of the mill, where it is intercalated between sandy 

 Red Marl and Green Marl. At Shipley Hill long barrow the marl is 

 evidently made ground. 



At Sileby there is an interesting section of Red Marl at the 

 Phoenix Brick-pit. The section is 61 feet thick. In bed 2 there 

 are irregular markings, chiefly vertical, of Green Marl running 

 down into the Red. Irregular green patches are seen in the 

 bed 3 also, and in beds 4 and 29. There is a good deal of skerry 

 at certain horizons, which is useless for brick-making. This pit is 

 especially interesting, as it exhibits well the irregular deposition 

 or variegation of the Red and Grey Marls. Long streaks of Grey 

 Marl depend fiom a horizontal layer into the Chocolate Marl, as 

 though having gradually trickled down or fallen into it when 

 liquid. This never happens, on the contrary, in an opposite direction, 

 i.e. Red Marl never exhibits this arrangement when overlying Green 

 Marl. This .seems to favour the diffusion column idea, and that the 

 Grey Marl is heavier than the Red. When the Red Marl is irregular 

 at the base it takes a concave form, which indicates an overlapping 

 of the red colour upon the grey, irrespective of bedding. 



There are five pits in the adjoining Albion Works in this series of 

 workings, all of which exhibit the same section as at the Phoenix 

 "Works (upper part). In two, one to the north of the cutting and 

 bridge, there are instances of Red Marl showing a saddle-like roll, as 

 though indicating a local instance of a subaqueous dune. In the 

 last case one is seen on the east face and another on the north face, 

 and it is possible that the two were connected by a circular sweep 

 which would give roughly a south-west and north-east direction for 

 the force moving it. In the other quarry, seen from the railway, 

 two such rolls occur in the Red Mail lying over each other on the 

 north face, and the intervening Grey Marl follows the same course. 

 Others occur on the east and south faces. They are practically all 

 at one level, and have not been noticed elsewhere. This district 

 has been much disturbed, and it is possible these undulations have 

 some local connexion with the same phenomena or perhaps colour 

 distribution. 



At Mountsorrel on the opposite side of the Soar, in the large 

 quarries along the north-west faces near the top, Trias fills the 

 hollows. It lies quite horizontally against the granite, with no radial 

 dip. Blocks of granite lie at the base of the marl in the hollows, as 

 do the Charnian rocks at Bardon. Some are rounded, but not all. 



Upon Castle Hill the blocks of granite are quite angular on the 

 south and east sides ; but along the north and west sides, or from 

 half-way along each side of the last, they are smoothed and polished, 

 doubtless by wind action. The extent of the polishing is not very 

 marked considering their exposed nature, nor could the period at 

 which they were polished be determined from the overlying deposits. 

 Where covered at all thev are covered bv drift. 



