158 MR, C. FOX-STBANGWATS ON SECTIONS ALONG THE [May 1 898, 



the country bordering the line no definite statement can be made as 

 to that point. 



At Clifton Station the Red Marl comes on in force, and is seen in 

 the deep cutting across the rising ground between North and South 

 Clifton. On the western side of this ridge a thick deposit of blown 

 sand creeps up the hill, thinning out over the summit ; but at the 

 railway it does not come over onto the eastern slope as shown in the 

 Survey map. At the point where the level of the rails cuts the 

 surface the sand is from 5 to 6 feet thick. 



Beyond this ridge the line crosses the broad expanse of the Trent 

 alluvium. Of this a detailed section, of which the figure in PI. X 

 is a reduced copy/ shows the variations in the beds. The piers of 

 the viaduct go down from 25 to 30 feet through alluvial deposits, 

 and from the section it will be seen that they consist principally of 

 loam resting on a varying thickness of sand and gravel. At about 

 400 or 500 yards west of the present river the horns of red deer 

 were found at a depth of 25 feet. This is near the margin of what 

 appears to be an old course of the Eiver Trent. 



At Pledborough Station there are cuttings in Ked and Grey Marl 

 with skerry ^ which continue for 3 or 4 miles, till the Great 

 Northern Railway is reached at the Dukeries Station. The cuttings 

 along this part of the line being sloped down, the sections are 

 not very clear, but judging from the general appearance of the 

 country bordering the line one must conclude that there cannot be 

 much drift or superficial beds of any sort on this side of the Trent. 

 Field-ponds and other shallow excavations all show solid strata. 

 At the Dukeries Station the grey and white flaggy sandstones of 

 the Keuper, which come out from beneath the Eed Marls, are well 

 exposed in the Great Northern Railway, and along the junction- 

 line connecting the two railways. The beds have a slight dip to 

 the south-east, and are very flaggy, with bands of marl. They 

 probably represent the easterly extension of the Tuxford Stone, 

 which was formerly much worked around that place ; but the beds 

 here are not strong enough to be of any value. A deep well sunk 

 at this point shows the character of the strata that lie below. 



In the following section there is not more than 51 1 feet of strata 

 that can be classed with the Lower Keuper Sandstone or Water- 

 stones. This is considerably less than the usual thickness assigned 

 to these beds, but it appears to correspond very well with what is 

 seen of them in the Kirton cutting mentioned subsequently. The 

 gypsiferous marls and sandstone shown in the upper part of the boring 

 are very conspicuous in the cutting at Tuxford Station, where the 

 thick lenticular masses of gypsum stand out prominently from the 

 sides of the sloped-down banks. Beds of marl and skerry continue 



^ The figures in PI. X, -which considerably add to the value of this account, are 

 based on drawings which Mr. R. Elliott Cooper, the engineer of the railway, 

 has very kindly given me. The horizontal section is reduced from the original 

 drawing. 



^ ' Skerry ' is the name usually applied in this district to the thin layers of 

 marly sandstone. 



