﻿282 
  MR. 
  F. 
  R. 
  COWPER 
  REED 
  ON 
  THE 
  RED 
  ROCKS 
  [May 
  1 
  897, 
  

  

  IV. 
  Summary 
  of 
  the 
  Evidence. 
  

  

  Summing 
  up 
  now 
  the 
  facts 
  gathered 
  from 
  the 
  above-described 
  

   sections, 
  the 
  following 
  points 
  become 
  evident 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  (1) 
  The 
  red 
  beds 
  either 
  (a) 
  rest 
  unconformably 
  on 
  the 
  edges 
  of 
  

   undoubted 
  Lower 
  Palaeozoic 
  rocks 
  and 
  are 
  separated 
  from 
  them 
  by 
  

   a 
  striking 
  unconformity, 
  or 
  (6) 
  are 
  faulted 
  against 
  them. 
  When 
  

   the 
  line 
  of 
  contact 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  sets 
  of 
  rocks 
  is 
  an 
  unconformity, 
  the 
  

   basal 
  layer 
  of 
  the 
  red 
  beds 
  is 
  frequently 
  a 
  breccia 
  of 
  variable 
  thick- 
  

   ness, 
  composed 
  of 
  fragments 
  of 
  the 
  underlying 
  rocks. 
  The 
  absence 
  

   or 
  thinness 
  of 
  this 
  basal 
  breccia 
  in 
  some 
  spots 
  is 
  of 
  no 
  importance, 
  

   as 
  a 
  similar 
  breccia 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  acknowledged 
  Old 
  Eed 
  

   Sandstone 
  of 
  the 
  county 
  occurs 
  only 
  at 
  two 
  widely 
  separated 
  

   localities 
  — 
  Dunmore 
  and 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  Comeraghs. 
  

  

  The 
  strike 
  and 
  dip 
  of 
  the 
  red 
  beds 
  are 
  always 
  widely 
  divergent 
  

   from 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  underlying 
  rocks 
  ; 
  and 
  whereas 
  the 
  latter 
  have 
  

   suffered 
  extensive 
  disturbance 
  and 
  show 
  much 
  crushing, 
  folding, 
  

   and 
  faulting 
  in 
  many 
  places, 
  the 
  red 
  beds 
  are 
  comparatively 
  undis- 
  

   turbed, 
  and 
  certainly 
  have 
  not 
  shared 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  movements. 
  

  

  The 
  dykes, 
  sheets, 
  and 
  other 
  intrusive 
  rocks 
  penetrating 
  the 
  

   Lower 
  Palaeozoic 
  strata 
  of 
  the 
  coast 
  have 
  nowhere 
  been 
  found 
  to 
  

   pierce 
  the 
  red 
  beds, 
  but 
  are 
  abruptly 
  truncated 
  by 
  them 
  along 
  a 
  line 
  

   of 
  erosion. 
  

  

  When 
  faulted 
  junctions 
  occur, 
  the 
  actual 
  lines 
  of 
  dislocation 
  are 
  

   generally 
  distinctly 
  visible, 
  and 
  traceable 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  or 
  in 
  the 
  

   face 
  of 
  the 
  cliffs. 
  

  

  (2) 
  The 
  patches 
  of 
  red 
  rocks 
  bear 
  not 
  only 
  the 
  closest 
  resem- 
  

   blance 
  to 
  each 
  other 
  in 
  lithological 
  and 
  structural 
  characters, 
  but 
  

   also 
  are 
  precisely 
  similar 
  to 
  certain 
  of 
  the 
  undoubted 
  Old 
  Red 
  

   Sandstone 
  beds 
  of 
  the 
  county. 
  The 
  mode 
  of 
  jointing 
  and 
  weather- 
  

   ing 
  exhibited 
  by 
  the 
  rocks 
  of 
  these 
  patches 
  is 
  also 
  typical 
  of 
  the 
  Old 
  

   Red 
  Sandstone. 
  

  

  (3) 
  In 
  no 
  case 
  is 
  there 
  indisputable 
  evidence 
  brought 
  forward 
  

   that 
  these 
  patches 
  are 
  really 
  conformably 
  interbedded 
  with 
  the 
  

   Lower 
  Palaeozoic 
  strata 
  ; 
  and 
  beds 
  of 
  similar 
  lithological 
  character 
  

   are 
  unknown 
  in 
  clear 
  sections 
  of 
  these 
  older 
  rocks. 
  

  

  V. 
  Probable 
  Explanation 
  of 
  the 
  Mode 
  of 
  Occurrence 
  

   of 
  the 
  Red 
  Rocks. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  no 
  insurmountable 
  or 
  even 
  grave 
  difficulties 
  to 
  be 
  over- 
  

   come 
  in 
  attributing 
  these 
  red 
  rocks 
  to 
  the 
  Old 
  Red 
  Sandstone, 
  or 
  in 
  

   accounting 
  for 
  the 
  present 
  isolated 
  position 
  of 
  these 
  patches. 
  The 
  

   post-Carboniferous 
  folding 
  threw 
  the 
  beds 
  of 
  this 
  area 
  into 
  the 
  well- 
  

   known 
  series 
  of 
  east-and-westerly 
  trending 
  folds, 
  many 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  

   undoubtedly 
  hidden 
  beneath 
  the 
  sea 
  off 
  the 
  southern 
  coast, 
  while 
  

   others 
  are 
  cut 
  across 
  and 
  partially 
  denuded 
  away 
  — 
  as 
  at 
  Dungarvan. 
  

   Besides 
  the 
  large 
  folds, 
  the 
  troughs 
  of 
  which 
  now 
  form 
  valleys 
  for 
  

   several 
  of 
  the 
  important 
  rivers 
  of 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  Ireland, 
  there 
  are 
  

   other 
  minor 
  ones 
  which 
  have 
  had 
  comparatively 
  little 
  effect 
  on 
  the 
  

  

  