1872.] 



MEYER WEALDEN AND " PTJNFIELD EOBMATION. 



253 



the relation of the Neocomian series of Punfield to that of Wor- 

 borrow Bay and Atherfield. It shows at a glance the comparativa 



thickness of the strata in these 

 ' ^ ' three localities, with their rela- 



tive distances from each other. 



DisoirssioK. 



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 © 43 





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Mr. GoDWiN-AtrsTEN did not 

 agree with Mr. Judd in calling 

 the bed at Punfield the " Pun- 

 field formation ; " it was merely 

 a bed intercalated between beds 

 of a different character below and 

 above. There could be no doubt 

 of the Wealden deposits extend- 

 ing over an area at least equal 

 in extent to many of the fresh- 

 water lakes at present in exist- 

 ence ; and the freshwater condi- 

 tions exhibited by the Wealden 

 must have been in existence 

 during an immense length of 

 time. At Punfield alone, how- 

 ever, was there evidence of the 

 transition from freshwater to 

 marine conditions; one reputed 

 case seemed to be merely an in- 

 stance of landslip. The change 

 from one condition to the other 

 might, he thought, be due to a 

 very slight depression. The Neo- 

 comian series, such as was known 

 to continental geologists, could 

 hardly be recognized in Britain ; 

 and it was only during the last 

 portion of that period that any de- 

 posits took place in this country. 

 The phenomena of the Wealden 

 deposits might, he believed, be 

 traced over a much larger area 

 than was commonly supposed, 

 and certainly as far as Saxony. 

 He considered that the same area 

 of land continued through both 

 the Jurassic and the Cretaceous 

 times. 



Prof. Ramsay thought that the 

 Purbeck strata were connected 

 with lagoons in contiguity with 



