﻿396 
  J. 
  G. 
  G00DCHILD 
  ON 
  THE 
  CARBONIFEROUS 
  CONGLOMERATES 
  

  

  less 
  conglomeratic, 
  and 
  subordinate 
  beds 
  of 
  limestone, 
  which 
  are 
  

   similar 
  in 
  lithological 
  character 
  to 
  those 
  in 
  the 
  Ash-Fell 
  sections. 
  

  

  Some 
  sandstones 
  about 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  this 
  series 
  may 
  be 
  seen 
  in 
  

   the 
  railway-cutting 
  in 
  the 
  village 
  of 
  Shap. 
  

  

  " 
  c." 
  The 
  Sandstone 
  series 
  is 
  succeeded 
  by 
  a 
  variable 
  thickness 
  of 
  

   limestone, 
  which 
  cannot 
  be 
  less 
  than 
  500 
  or 
  600 
  feet 
  near 
  Ash 
  Fell. 
  

  

  The 
  beds 
  are 
  not 
  usually 
  so 
  pure 
  as 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  series 
  ; 
  but 
  

   this 
  lower 
  group 
  is 
  nowhere 
  split 
  up 
  by 
  beds 
  of 
  sandstone 
  or 
  shale. 
  

   Near 
  the 
  base 
  it 
  becomes 
  thinner-bedded 
  and 
  passes 
  down 
  by 
  almost 
  

   insensible 
  gradations 
  into 
  the 
  next 
  series. 
  

  

  " 
  d." 
  This 
  group 
  in 
  its 
  upper 
  part 
  consists 
  of 
  shales, 
  with 
  thin 
  

   impure 
  limestones 
  here 
  and 
  there 
  containing 
  grains 
  of 
  quartz, 
  and 
  

   passes 
  down 
  through 
  calcareous 
  beds 
  of 
  a 
  more 
  decidedly 
  conglo- 
  

   meratic 
  character 
  into 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  apple-green 
  quartz 
  conglomerates 
  

   and 
  chocolate 
  and 
  grey 
  shales. 
  

  

  These, 
  in 
  their 
  turn, 
  are 
  succeeded 
  without 
  any 
  clear 
  line 
  of 
  de- 
  

   marcation 
  by 
  the 
  Drift-like 
  series 
  of 
  red 
  conglomerates, 
  sandstones, 
  

   and 
  shales 
  which 
  forms 
  the 
  lower 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Carboniferous 
  base- 
  

   ment-beds 
  here, 
  and 
  has 
  always 
  been 
  considered 
  the 
  equivalent 
  of 
  

   the 
  Upper 
  Old 
  Red 
  of 
  other 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  kingdom. 
  

  

  This 
  basement-series 
  is 
  exceedingly 
  variable 
  in 
  thickness 
  and 
  

   mineral 
  character 
  ; 
  and, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  it 
  has 
  yet 
  been 
  proved, 
  it 
  seems 
  to 
  

   be 
  mainly 
  composed 
  of 
  locally 
  derived 
  materials. 
  

  

  These 
  are 
  the 
  beds 
  which 
  are 
  seen 
  at 
  intervals 
  along 
  the 
  northern 
  

   border 
  of 
  the 
  Lake-district 
  between 
  the 
  Silurian 
  rocks 
  and 
  the 
  lime- 
  

   stone 
  scars 
  of 
  the 
  Carboniferous 
  series. 
  They 
  are 
  very 
  well 
  exposed 
  

   in 
  Birk 
  Beck, 
  between 
  Tebay 
  and 
  Shap 
  Wells. 
  

  

  Between 
  Poola 
  Bridge, 
  at 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  Ullswater, 
  and 
  the 
  village 
  of 
  

   Dacre 
  are 
  thick 
  masses 
  of 
  roughly 
  stratified 
  conglomerates 
  belonging 
  

   to 
  this 
  basement-series. 
  It 
  is 
  these 
  beds 
  which 
  form 
  the 
  striking 
  

   conical 
  hills 
  known 
  as 
  Great 
  Mell 
  Fell 
  and 
  Little 
  Mell 
  Fell, 
  as 
  well 
  

   as 
  others 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  outline 
  between 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  Ullswater 
  and 
  the 
  

   outcrop 
  of 
  the 
  Carboniferous 
  Limestone 
  to 
  the 
  north. 
  

  

  A 
  thickness 
  of 
  several 
  hundred 
  feet 
  of 
  limestone 
  belonging 
  to 
  

   group 
  " 
  c 
  " 
  comes 
  on 
  above 
  the 
  conglomerates 
  in 
  the 
  river-Eamont 
  

   sections 
  north 
  of 
  Ullswater 
  ; 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  until 
  we 
  reach 
  Yanwath, 
  

   about 
  two 
  miles 
  to 
  the 
  south 
  of 
  Penrith, 
  that 
  we 
  find 
  the 
  Ash-Fell 
  

   beds 
  in 
  full 
  force. 
  

  

  Groups 
  u 
  b," 
  " 
  c," 
  and 
  "cZ" 
  form 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  valley-ground 
  

   skirting 
  the 
  north-eastern 
  border 
  of 
  the 
  Lake-district 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  

   generally 
  north-easterly 
  dip 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  causes 
  these 
  lower 
  groups 
  

   to 
  pass 
  beneath 
  the 
  higher 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  Carboniferous 
  series 
  and 
  

   the 
  Permian 
  rocks 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  great 
  lines 
  of 
  disturbance 
  at 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  

   the 
  Pennine 
  escarpment, 
  where 
  they 
  are 
  again 
  thrown 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  

   surface 
  by 
  faults 
  which 
  have 
  several 
  thousand 
  feet 
  of 
  downthrow 
  

   on 
  the 
  south 
  side. 
  

  

  About 
  a 
  mile 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  of 
  Ash 
  Fell 
  a 
  north-easterly 
  

   line 
  of 
  disturbance 
  cuts 
  off 
  the 
  Ash-Fell 
  beds 
  on 
  the 
  east, 
  and 
  throws 
  

   in 
  limestones 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  series 
  " 
  a 
  ." 
  

  

  The 
  strike 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  on 
  the 
  western 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  faults 
  continues 
  

  

  