J 62 NOTES ON THE GLACIAL BEDS NEAR WYNYARD. 



At several places I noticed towards the top of the 

 glacial drift lenticular masses of hard cjuartzite sand- 

 stone. Mr. Kitson is inclined to consider these as trans- 

 ported blocks. I rather think them to be solidified 

 aranaceous concretions, which were eventually sub- 

 jected to the same process of pressure as the boulders 

 (Plate X.). 



I am, further, not quite certain whether the apparent 

 stratified condition of the moraine may not also be due 

 to pressure. However that may be, it is certain that the 

 moraine was subjected to an enormous pressure. 



(b) Sandstone with Fossils. 



Immediately above the moraine follows a layer of 

 coarse conglomerate, which was unquestionably derived 

 from working up the top part of the moraine and re- 

 deposit of the more larger blocks. These boulders are 

 cemented by a sandy matrix containing numerous frag- 

 ments of shells, sometimes also a more complete speci- 

 men. About 2 feet above this occurs a very constant 

 bed of fossils about % to i foot in thickness (PI. X. and 

 XL), which has been called Crassatella-bed by Mr. John- 

 ston. This Crassatella-bed is rather peculiar ; though 

 very constant in level and thickness, it is not separated 

 by planes of bedding from either the low^er or upper 

 portions of the sandstone. It looks as if the fossils had 

 been more concentrated at a certain time during the 

 •deposit of the sandstone than either before or after- 

 wards. When we closely examine the fossils we see 

 that they consist for the greater part of broken and 

 rolled fragments, while complete specimens are not very 

 ■common. It is obvious that the Crassatella-bed forms 

 an old sea beach — in fact, there is npt the slightest dif- 

 ference between it and a modern beach along our 

 ■coasts. Mixed with the fossils, and immediately above 

 the bed, there are numerous rolled small pebbles of 

 whitish or yellowish quartzite, such as I have seen in 

 the tin-bearing deposits on the Xorth-East Coast (i). 



Above the Crassatella-bed follows a series of about 

 ■80 feet of thicklv bedded sandstone, of yellowish white 



(i) This is one of the observations iiitlicrto apparently un- 

 noticed. 



