132 GEOLOGY OF THE LOTHIANS. 



of coal, and the group of sandstone strata which forms the 

 lowest of the rocks visible in this section. (Plate XVI.) 



From this point to Kirkaldy, a flat sandy beach complete- 

 ly covers the subjacent rocks ; to the east of the town, 

 however, the sandstone-slate and shale again appear, and 

 continue onwards for a long way. 



In the more central parts of Fife, there are numerous 

 points where the relations of the trap-rocks to the neptu- 

 nian strata are interesting, and we shall conclude with a no- 

 tice of the geological appearances exhibited in the Lomond 

 hills. The Lomond hills consist of three eminences, Easter, 

 Wester, and Mid Lomond, the two first rising to the 

 heights of 1466 and 1721 feet. When viewed from a dis- 

 tance, these hills might, from their external appearance, be 

 considered as entirely composed of trap-rocks ; on examin- 

 ing them, however, it is found that a very considerable por- 

 tion consists of the coal sandstone, and on the north side of 

 the Wester and Mid Lomonds, a section, extending from 

 the foot almost to the summit of the hills, exposes their 

 structure in the most satisfactory manner. Red sandstone 

 dipping S. W. at 8°, is the lowest rock visible, and forms 

 the most of that comparatively level country which skirts 

 their northern base, being succeeded by the coal series of 

 white sandstone, slate-clay, and clay-ironstone, which is sur- 

 mounted by the great overlying trap deposit of the hills. 

 Wester Lomond rises immediately above Loch Leven, and 

 presents a front of more or less regularly columnar trap 

 In several places the quarrying of the sandstone, for the 

 purpose of building, has exposed immediate junctions of the 

 two classes of rocks ; but in no instance do the strata afford 

 appearances of induration : near their contact with the green- 

 stone, however, they in some places occur in positions which 

 can only be considered as disturbed. 



