THE 



GEOLOGICAL MAGAZINE. 



NEW SERIES. DECADE II. VOL. VI. 



No. II.— FEBRUARY, 1879. 



OEIG-IUAL ARTICLES. 



I. — On the Physical History of the English Lake District. 

 With Notes on the Possible Subdivisions of the Skiddaw 

 Slates. 



By the Rev. J. Clifton Ward, F.G.S., F.R.M.S. 

 (PLATE II.) 



Introduction. — In previous papers upon the Geology of the English 

 Lake District, which I have had the honour of laying before the 

 Geological Society, special considerations of theoretic significance 

 have been dwelt upon, and in the official memoir upon the Geology 

 of the northern part of the English Lake District, detailed facts 

 have been brought forward and a sketch given (in chap, xii.) of the 

 original relation of the formations to each other, and their physical 

 history. I yet venture to think, however, that there is need of a 

 general summary of the facts relating to Physical History which may 

 reach a wider circle of readers than do the official memoirs, and 

 which may stimulate further inquiries into this deeply-interesting 

 subject. The following pages may therefore be regarded as a sequel 

 to my former papers on the district, and in some measure as a last 

 chapter to the story told thus far. 1 



Age of the District. 



Our first inquiry is naturally — What is the age of this small 

 mountain district of Cumbria ? Do Scafell, Helvellyn, and Skiddaw 

 stand up as modern products of the world's evolution, or are they 

 very ancient monuments, bearing many hieroglyphics written by the 

 finger of time ? First then, if we sum up the rocky volumes at our 

 disposal, we find the following geological formations represented : — 



(d) Carboniferous and Basement Conglomerate. 



(c) Upper Silurian and Coniston Limestone Series. 



(6) Volcanic Series of Borrowdale. 



(a) Skiddaw Slates. 



Each of these series stands by itself, and is either separated from 

 its neighbour by a long period of time, as is markedly the case 

 between (d) and (c), and less so between (c) and (&), or by a decided 

 change in physical conditions, as between (a) and (b). 



1 For a list of the author's papers on the district see Appendix at the close of this 

 memoir. 



DECADE II.— VOL. VI. NO. II. 4 



