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  THE 
  RED 
  ROCKS 
  NEAR 
  BUNMAHON. 
  [May 
  1897. 
  

  

  attrition. 
  The 
  finer 
  conglomerates, 
  however, 
  have 
  their 
  materials 
  

   more 
  rolled, 
  and 
  resemble 
  compacted 
  fine 
  shingle. 
  This 
  series 
  of 
  

   beds 
  is 
  from 
  70 
  to 
  80 
  feet 
  thick, 
  and 
  is 
  finely 
  displayed 
  in 
  the 
  lofty 
  

   vertical 
  cliffs 
  at 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  bay. 
  The 
  dip, 
  which 
  is 
  vertical 
  in 
  

   the 
  westernmost 
  portion 
  — 
  i. 
  e. 
  the 
  uppermost 
  beds 
  — 
  becomes 
  75 
  c 
  - 
  

   80° 
  to 
  the 
  N.W. 
  as 
  we 
  walk 
  eastward 
  and 
  pass 
  across 
  the 
  strike 
  

   on 
  to 
  the 
  lower 
  beds. 
  The 
  line 
  of 
  cliffs 
  here 
  makes 
  a 
  large 
  angle 
  

   with 
  the 
  true 
  strike 
  of 
  the 
  beds. 
  

  

  Suddenly, 
  at 
  the 
  north-eastern 
  corner 
  of 
  the 
  bay, 
  the 
  vertical 
  cliffs 
  

   of 
  red 
  sandstone 
  cease, 
  and 
  their 
  place 
  is 
  taken 
  by 
  a 
  steep, 
  grass-grown 
  

   cliff 
  formed 
  of 
  a 
  succession 
  of 
  landslips 
  and 
  obscured 
  by 
  much 
  talus. 
  

   We 
  at 
  once 
  suspect 
  that 
  this 
  change 
  is 
  caused 
  by 
  the 
  occurrence 
  of 
  

   rocks 
  of 
  a 
  different 
  character, 
  and 
  we 
  have 
  not 
  far 
  to 
  look 
  to 
  find 
  our 
  

   suspicion 
  confirmed. 
  We 
  find, 
  firstly, 
  that 
  the 
  lowest 
  20 
  feet 
  of 
  the 
  

   red 
  sandstone 
  and 
  conglomerate-series 
  is 
  composed 
  of 
  a 
  very 
  coarse 
  

   breccia 
  of 
  fragments 
  of 
  felsites, 
  greenstones, 
  tuffs, 
  etc., 
  in 
  a 
  matrix 
  

   of 
  red 
  sand 
  ; 
  and 
  then 
  at 
  the 
  place 
  where 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  cliffs 
  

   changes 
  we 
  find 
  this 
  breccia 
  resting 
  on 
  the 
  worn 
  edges 
  of 
  the 
  rocks 
  

   which 
  have 
  supplied 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  fragments 
  (see 
  fig. 
  3, 
  p. 
  275). 
  The 
  

   unconformity 
  is 
  most 
  striking, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  room 
  for 
  questioning 
  

   the 
  complete 
  discordance 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  sets 
  of 
  beds, 
  and 
  the 
  wide 
  interval 
  

   of 
  time 
  that 
  must 
  have 
  separated 
  their 
  periods 
  of 
  formation. 
  The 
  

   older 
  rocks, 
  including 
  several 
  intrusive 
  masses, 
  present 
  their 
  trun- 
  

   cated 
  and 
  broken-up 
  edges 
  to 
  the 
  red 
  series 
  ; 
  none 
  of 
  the 
  intrusions 
  

   penetrate 
  the 
  latter, 
  but 
  end 
  abruptly 
  against 
  the 
  basal 
  breccia. 
  

   The 
  section 
  of 
  the 
  cliffs 
  of 
  this 
  bay 
  which 
  is 
  figured 
  in 
  the 
  Survey 
  

   Memoir 
  (op. 
  cit. 
  p. 
  58, 
  fig. 
  6) 
  is 
  very 
  misleading, 
  and 
  contrary 
  to 
  the 
  

   evidence 
  now 
  most 
  clearly 
  exposed 
  along 
  the 
  coast.. 
  The 
  arrange- 
  

   ment 
  and 
  relations 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  as 
  now 
  seen 
  on 
  the 
  northern 
  side 
  of 
  

   the 
  bay 
  are 
  shown 
  in 
  fig. 
  4. 
  

  

  The 
  inland 
  extension 
  of 
  these 
  red 
  rocks 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  

   trace 
  with 
  much 
  accuracy, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  ground, 
  but 
  

   there 
  are 
  no 
  superficial 
  indications 
  of 
  their 
  occurrence 
  far 
  inland 
  in 
  

   the 
  townland 
  of 
  Ballydouane 
  East. 
  If 
  we 
  prolong 
  eastward 
  the 
  line 
  

   of 
  fault 
  marked 
  A 
  in 
  fig. 
  9 
  (p. 
  284), 
  we 
  shall 
  see 
  that 
  it 
  must 
  

   intersect 
  the 
  strike 
  of 
  the 
  basal 
  breccia 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  enclose 
  a 
  wedge- 
  

   shaped 
  block 
  of 
  red 
  beds. 
  A 
  ridge 
  of 
  high 
  ground 
  runs 
  inland 
  

   from 
  the 
  central 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  bay 
  in 
  a 
  north-easterly 
  direction 
  and 
  

   gives 
  indications 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  formed 
  of 
  the 
  red 
  sandstones 
  and 
  con- 
  

   glomerates. 
  This 
  ridge 
  is 
  cut 
  across 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  by 
  the 
  north-and- 
  

   south 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  Cooneenacartan 
  stream. 
  

  

  The 
  cliffs 
  of 
  Ballydouane 
  Bay 
  from 
  its 
  north-eastern 
  corner 
  of 
  

   grass-grown 
  talus 
  trend 
  to 
  the 
  south-east, 
  and 
  until 
  nearly 
  halfway 
  

   out 
  to 
  Poolatunish 
  Point 
  consist 
  of 
  similar 
  steep, 
  broken, 
  grass- 
  

   covered 
  slopes, 
  with 
  the 
  igneous 
  rocks 
  cropping 
  out 
  at 
  their 
  base 
  and 
  

   on 
  the 
  foreshore. 
  At 
  this 
  halfway 
  point, 
  however, 
  we 
  see 
  red 
  

   sandstones, 
  shales, 
  and 
  conglomerates 
  again 
  composing 
  the 
  cliffs 
  and 
  

   dipping 
  to 
  the 
  south-east 
  at 
  60° 
  in 
  a 
  regular 
  succession 
  of 
  beds. 
  

   These 
  rocks 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  exactly 
  similar 
  to 
  those 
  above 
  described 
  

   in 
  another 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  bay, 
  but 
  are 
  not 
  so 
  accessible. 
  Their 
  

  

  