Geological Society of London, 1 87 



II. Evening Meeting, February 23r(l, 1870. — Josepli Prcstwich, 

 Esq., F.R.S., President, in tlio Chair. Tlio Ibllowing communica- 

 tions were read : — 1. "Additional Observations on the Neocomian 

 Strata in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, with notes on their relations 

 to the Beds of the same age throughout Northern Europe." By 

 J. W. Judd, Esq., F.G.S. 



This paper embodied the results of the author's further study of 

 the Neocomian beds of the north of England, in connexion with 

 those of North-western Germany. 



The inland development of these strata in the Vale of Pickering, 

 was described as being greatly obscured by superficial deposits. 

 The beds, however, exposed at Keighton, West Heslerton, and 

 Knapton, were shown to agree, both in physical and pala3ontological 

 characters, with several of those before described in the cliff section 

 at Speeton. 



The Neocomian ironstones of Lincolnshire have, since the date of 

 the former paper on the subject (1867), been extensively opened out 

 by mining operations ; and the valuable and instructive sections 

 thus afforded were described in detail. A general sketch was then 

 given of the range and characteristics of the Neocomian strata in 

 Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. 



Evidence was next adduced to show that strata of the same age, 

 and remarkably similar in character, had been deposited over a very 

 wide area in northern Europe. Throughout the whole of these 

 districts, however, the Neocomian strata were very inadequately ex- 

 posed, and afforded no good general sections ; and the Speeton Cliff 

 thus acquired an additional interest from the fact that it forms a 

 valuable, and almost the only, key whereby we can correlate the 

 beds over this vast area. 



Studying the continental deposits in this manner, by the aid of 

 the Speeton section, the fossiliferous clays of the island of Heligo- 

 land were shown to belong to the '• Zone of Ammonites Sipeetonensis,'" 

 i.e. the upper part of the Lower Neocomian. The boulders found 

 in the drift deposits of Holland were referred to as evidence of the 

 former wide extension of limestones similar to those of Tealby in 

 Lincolnshire. In Westphalia the sandstones, limestones, ironstones, 

 and clays, so extensively developed in the hills of Bentheim and the 

 Teutoburger Walde, were shown to be of Middle Neocomian age, 

 while certain beds of clay in the same district were referable to the 

 Upper Neocomian. In Hanover the "Hilsthon" of M. Fr. Ad. 

 Eomer was shown to be in its upper part Upper Neocomian, and 

 in its lower part Middle Neocomian, the latter passing locally into 

 beds of Oolitic ironstone, sandstones, and limestones, precisely similar 

 to those of the same age in Lincolnshire. The narrow strip of highly 

 inclined Neocomian strata along the northern foot of the Hartz was 

 shown to belong to the same two subdivisions. In Brunswick, how- 

 ever, the Necomian series was more complete ; for underneath some 

 400 feet of clays, which on palaeontological evidence clearly belong 

 to the Upper and Middle divisions, there were certain marly lime- 

 stones, in places becoming ferruginous, containing au abundant and 



