282 Reports & Proceedings — Geological Society of London. 



(iii) Mat/ 7, 1913. — Dr. Aubrey Strahan, F.R.S., President, and 

 afterwards W. Whitaker, E.A., F.E.S., F.G.S., in the Chair. 



The following communications were read : — 



1. " The Bathonian Rocks of the Oxford District." By M. Odling, 

 M.A., B.Sc, r.G.S. 



In this paper the author describes the lithology, palaeontology, 

 and stratigraphy of the Bathonian rocks north of Oxford, from the 

 evidence afforded by numerous quarries and well-borings and by the 

 Ardley Cutting on the Great Western Railway (new Birmingham 

 main line). 



The general sequence is as follows: — 



Thickness in feet. 

 CORNBEASH. Eubbly non-oolitic limestone, with occasional 



marl bands ...... 8-17 



Slight unconformity. 

 Forest Marble. Coarse shelly and oolitic limestones largely 

 false-bedded. When traced eastwards the 

 limestones are largely replaced by marls ; 

 and finally the series is represented by 

 green and blue clays with minor bands of 

 limestone ....... 21 



Well-marked uiiconformity. 

 Great Oolite. 



Block 1. 



Compact, fine-grained, pure limestones, with 

 a local blue or green clay about the centre. 

 The variation in thickness is largely due to 

 erosion ....... 7-13 



Well-marked eroded surface. 

 Block 2. 



Compact limestones of a coarser texture than 

 those of Block 1. The full thickness is 

 exposed only in the Ardley Cutting, where 

 it is 15 feet. The thickness to the base of 

 the ' Nerincea Rock ' is about 6 feet at 

 Ardley and 17 feet in the Gibraltar Quarry, 

 3 miles away to the south-west ... — 



Block 3. 



Clays and sandy argillaceous limestones, now 



exposed only in the Ardley Cutting . . 7i 



FULLONLVN. 



Upper Beds. 



Compact rock and clay, very fossiliferous . 5 



Fullers' Earth Rock 4 



' Concinna beds ' ..... 4| 



(Position of the Stonesfield Slates.) 

 Lower Beds. 



' Neseran Beds,' consisting of a series of semi- 



estuarine green clays, with one band of 



limestone about the centre . . about 16 



Chipping Norton Limestone, consisting of 



sandy and argillaceous limestones . . 12 



After a general description of the series, the principal points of 

 interest in the different sections and their mutual relations are 

 described ; and the author points out that, although no definite zones 



