﻿1864.] 
  

  

  MURCHISON 
  AND 
  HARKNESS 
  PERMIAN. 
  

  

  149 
  

  

  which 
  may 
  be 
  regarded 
  as 
  the 
  type-section 
  of 
  this 
  series 
  of 
  rocks*. 
  

   In 
  this 
  section 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  series 
  consists 
  of 
  breccias, 
  locally 
  

   called 
  " 
  brockrams," 
  composed, 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  part, 
  of 
  unaltered 
  frag- 
  

   ments 
  of 
  Carboniferous 
  Limestone. 
  To 
  these 
  there 
  succeeds 
  a 
  thick 
  

   mass 
  of 
  red 
  sandstones, 
  upon 
  which 
  are 
  superposed 
  other 
  breccias 
  

  

  Pig. 
  1. 
  — 
  Generalized 
  Section 
  of 
  the 
  Permian 
  Rocks 
  of 
  the 
  Eden 
  Valley. 
  

  

  w 
  

  

  Inferior 
  

  

  unaltered 
  

  

  Breccia. 
  

  

  1 
  . 
  Penrith 
  Sandstone 
  (Lower 
  Permian). 
  2. 
  Hilton 
  plant-beds 
  (Middle 
  Permian). 
  

   3. 
  Corby 
  or 
  St. 
  Bees 
  Sandstone 
  (Upper 
  4. 
  Lower 
  Silurian. 
  

   Permian). 
  

  

  having 
  red 
  sandstones 
  intercalated 
  in 
  them. 
  The 
  higher 
  breccias, 
  

   locally 
  termed 
  " 
  rotten 
  brockrams," 
  are 
  also 
  to 
  a 
  considerable 
  extent 
  

   made 
  up 
  of 
  limestone 
  -fragments, 
  but 
  which, 
  in 
  every 
  instance, 
  are 
  

   converted 
  into 
  dolomite. 
  The 
  inferior 
  unaltered 
  breccias 
  are 
  not 
  

   seen 
  in 
  Cumberland 
  in 
  connexion 
  with 
  the 
  Penrith 
  sandstones 
  ; 
  and 
  

   in 
  Westmoreland 
  they 
  are 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  district 
  west 
  of 
  Appleby, 
  

   where 
  alone 
  the 
  lowest 
  portion 
  of 
  this 
  series 
  is 
  seen. 
  The 
  succeed- 
  

   ing 
  sandstones, 
  which 
  spread 
  themselves 
  over 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  the 
  Lower 
  

   Permian 
  area, 
  possess 
  peculiar 
  mineral 
  characters. 
  They 
  are, 
  almost 
  

   exclusively, 
  made 
  up 
  of 
  grains 
  of 
  quartz, 
  many 
  of 
  which 
  retain 
  the 
  

   facets 
  of 
  the 
  original 
  quartz-crystals, 
  reflecting 
  solar 
  rays 
  therefrom. 
  

   The 
  quartz 
  grains 
  are 
  of 
  more 
  than 
  usual 
  size, 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  

   that 
  of 
  the 
  particles 
  of 
  other 
  siliceous 
  sandstones, 
  are 
  angular 
  or 
  

   subangular, 
  and 
  give 
  to 
  the 
  rocks 
  which 
  are 
  composed 
  of 
  them 
  the 
  

   nature 
  of 
  a 
  very 
  fine-grained 
  breccia. 
  Owing 
  to 
  the 
  abundance 
  of 
  

   oxide 
  of 
  iron, 
  these 
  sandstones 
  have 
  commonly 
  a 
  bright-red 
  colour 
  ; 
  

   but 
  occasionally 
  perfectly 
  white 
  strata 
  are 
  associated 
  with 
  the 
  red 
  

   beds, 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  oxide 
  of 
  iron 
  alone 
  distinguishing 
  the 
  two. 
  

   These 
  white 
  sandstones 
  are 
  largely 
  quarried 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  and 
  north- 
  

   east 
  of 
  Penrith, 
  and 
  many 
  new 
  houses 
  are 
  built 
  of 
  them. 
  

  

  The 
  higher 
  breccias, 
  " 
  rotten 
  brockrams," 
  like 
  those 
  appertaining 
  

   to 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  series, 
  are, 
  in 
  the 
  Yale 
  of 
  the 
  Eden, 
  of 
  local 
  occur- 
  

   rence. 
  They 
  are 
  well 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  Hilton-beck, 
  a 
  stream 
  descending 
  

   from 
  Roman 
  Fell 
  to 
  the 
  Eden, 
  which 
  traverses 
  along 
  the 
  dip 
  the 
  

   greater 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Permian 
  rocks 
  of 
  Westmoreland 
  ; 
  and 
  they 
  also 
  

  

  * 
  Op. 
  cit. 
  supra, 
  p. 
  207. 
  

  

  