434 A. Sfrahan — Coal under Wew Red Sandstone. 



exists at the outcrop towards the north, where the overlap is nearly 

 complete, owing to the supposed partial or entire removal of the 

 Permian strata by denudation before the Trias was deposited. That 

 these expectations would not have been fulfilled is shown by the 

 result of the sinkings about to be described. It may be added that 

 any complete examination of the rocks at the surface is prevented 

 by the prevalence of drift. 



In the years 1875-1878 two shafts were sunk by the Bold Hall 

 Colliery Company on the southern margin of the Bold Peat Moss, 

 about one mile from the outcrop of the supposed Permian Eocks at 

 St. Helens Junction. 



The following is an abstract of a section of the strata supplied to 

 my colleague, Mr. C. E. De Eance, F.Gr.S., by Mr. Harbottle, and 

 published in full in the Geological Survey Memoir on the Neigh- 

 bourhood of Prescot (3rd edition) : — 



feet. ins. 

 Post-Glacial and Glacial 67 11 



Lower Mottled Sandstone [ J^J ^^[1/"^ '""fj "^^^^ ,? ^ 



( Had mottled sandstone 21 



Q„ „„n„j x>„ ^-n^ ( Eed and white metal (shale) 30 4 



bo-called rernuan {-ojji. ^ crn 



( Jxed sandstone 57 9 



Red Coal-measures 364 9 



Coal-measures \ Coal-measures 1249 6 



Florida Mine 



It will be noticed that the shale, which was supposed to be of 

 Permian age, is about the same thickness here as at the outcrop, but 

 the underlying sandstone is 32 feet 3 inches thinner. 



At Collins Green about three-quarters of a mile to the north-east 

 of this colliery, but about the same distance from the boundary of 

 the Trias, two shafts have been sunk by the Collins Green Colliery 

 Company. The following is an abstract of a section, for which I 

 am indebted to the kindness of Mr. John Mercer, and which is 

 given in full in the memoir mentioned above : — 



feet. ins. 



Glacial Deposits 63 7 



Pebhle Beds and Lower Mottled Sandstone ; red and yellow sandstone 181 



i Eed shale 22 4 



So-called Permian < Hard dun sandstone 3 3 



( Loose brown sandstone with " Sulphur-balls " . . 40 8 



( Eed Coal-measures 151 11 



Coal-measures . . \ Coal-measures 1204 10 



( Florida Mine 



The supposed Lower Permian Sandstone shows here a further 

 diminution in thickness of 13 feet 10 inches, and the red shale is 

 8 feet 2 inches thinner than at the outcrop. The " Sulphur-balls " 

 referred to in the section are spherical or slightly flattened concre- 

 tions of iron pyrites. They were found in great abundance in a 

 loose brown sand, composed of small perfectly rounded grains of 

 quartz. On breaking open a concretion, these grains of sand are 

 seen to make up the greater portion of the material. They are 



