94 MR. E. W. BINNEY ON A DOLERITE AT GLEASTON. 



Thorpe in Dr. Roscoe's laboratory, especially for titanic 

 acid, and no trace of that substance was found. He used 

 the test with microcosmic salt, having separated iron and 

 silica. The absence of titanium in the rock would lead us 

 to believe that it was of later origin than the carboniferous 

 age j but if traces of that metal had been found, it would 

 not only have settled the question as to the age, but it 

 would have shown a connexion with the haematite iron- 

 ores of Whitehaven and Ulverston, all of which contain 

 more or less of titanium, as proved by the deposits of that 

 metal found on the sides of old furnaces where haematite 

 has been smelted. Is the rock of Permian age ? It is 

 certainly not much unlike the melaphyr of the German 

 geologists ; and the breccia near the dolerite is not greatly 

 different from that of Ballochmyle, described by Mr. A. 

 Geikie, F.R.S., in the ' Geological Magazine ^ for De- 

 cember 1866; but we could not obtain direct evidence 

 that the breccia gradually passed into the trap ; the latter 

 appeared to protrude through it ; but certainly the trap and 

 the breccia dipped in the same direction, the one at about 

 60° and the other at 25°, a little west of north. This point 

 can only be satisfactorily determined by cutting a trench 

 and showing the contact of the breccia with the trap. 

 The extent of the dyke can only be traced for a few yai'ds 

 east and west, as previously stated ; and none of the haema- 

 tite iron deposits, so far as known, have been found south 

 of it. Its age also appears to be more recent, even sup- 

 posing it to be Permian, than those deposits, which for the 

 most part must be considered of carboniferous age. The 

 occurrence of this trap might have been considered to have 

 some connexion with the deposition of the iron, had it been 

 of carboniferous age ; but it is evidently more recent, and 

 therefore could have had nothing to do with it further than 

 to disturb or displace it. 



