224 REPORT OF MEETINGS FOR 1902 



80, by Pease Burn, the Silurian graptolite and Annelid 

 quarry, to reach their destination. Here, at Siccar Point, a 

 wonderfully beautiful view, both artistically and geologically, 

 met their eyes. The Silurian rocks, with the Old Bed resting 

 upon them, were beautifully and distinctly outlined. Mr 

 Goodchild absorbed all attention while he explained the 

 formation, in long past ages, of the Silurian strata. According 

 to him, the Silurian must have been here deposited and 

 consolidated some 150 millions of years before the formation 

 of the Red Sandstone, which, in geologists' language, lies 

 unconformably upon the much older Grreywacke. He lightened 

 the effort of imagining these prodigions spaces of time by 

 an amusing anecdote regarding the word just used. Having 

 visited this place some time ago, with a party of Edinburgh 

 students, he was reported next morning in the daily press 

 as having said that the sandstone was lying uncomfortably 

 upon the Silurian rock. Mr Goodchild explained, in regard 

 to the original formation of the sandstone, that it had 

 accumulated to a thickness of many thousands of feet upon 

 the top of the Silurian rock, but that the action of different 

 agencies, in subsequent lapse of time, had ground it down 

 to its present level, so that in some places it was practically 

 reduced to nothing, in others to one foot in depth, and in 

 others again to fifty feet. He estimated that the time occupied 

 in its formation was something like 250 millions of years, 

 which, added to the time allotted by him to the Silurian 

 formation, would make a total period of 400 million years. 

 The distinct tones of colour, shown by the sandstone in a 

 very marked manner at the point where they were standing, 

 were also explained. Where the colour of the stone was 

 white, it meant that when the sand settled down there was 

 organic matter, vegetable or animal, mingled with it. On 

 the other hand, where they found the red stone, they might 

 safely conclude that there was no organic matter, nothing 

 but mineral substances present in the water where the sand 

 settled down. A large number of balls of sandstone — or 

 nodules — were pointed out, and Mr Goodchild explained, in 

 a terse and graphic way, how they were formed a/nd how 

 they came to be imbedded in the rock. As the Club pro- 

 ceeded from Siccar Point to Cove, he drew their attention 



