2 ,g [Proc. B.N.F.C. 



Proceedings. 



SUMMER SESSION 



LYLE HILL. 



The Geological Section held its first excursion of the season 

 on Saturday, 15th May, to Lyle Hill and Templepatrick. There 

 was a large attendance of members, and on arrival at Temple- 

 patrick Mr. J. Strachan acted as special conductor to Lyle Hill. 

 The higher portion of the hill is formed of Upper Basalt, and Mr. 

 Strachan drew attention to its shape as seen from a distance. The 

 steep escarpment due to weathering of the Upper Basalt is 

 characteristic of County Antrim hills, where the latter are capped 

 by this rock, the soft underlying lithomarge having allowed the 

 basalt to be easily broken away by weathering influences. The 

 exposure at the new mine on the north-west side of the hill showed 

 an outcrop of interbasaltic beds. The succession below the upper 

 basalt was — Pisolitic iron ore, 12 to r5fnch.es; aluminous iron 

 ore, 3 to 4 feet ; lithomarge, 40 to 50 feet, passing into Lower 

 Basalt. Mr. Strachan explained that the pisolitic iron ore and 

 aluminous iron ore lie on the same horizon as the bauxite 

 beds at Straid and the leaf beds at Ballypalady. The pisolitic 

 iron ore is very thin and of rather a poor quality. It passes 

 gradually down into aluminous iron ore, which contains too much 

 silica and iron for economic working at the present time. It has 

 been worked for alumina, but the mines have been given up for a 

 number of years. The next section visited was at the east of the 

 hill, and showed an exposure of Upper Basalt, a compact rock, 

 with very few vesicles. The third section was in the plantation. 

 It showed a mine level dipping into the interbasaltic beds. There 

 was nothing, however, to be seen here but a small section through 



