﻿1864.] 
  HAfiKNESS 
  NORTH-EAST 
  OF 
  SCOTLAND. 
  437 
  

  

  Burghead. 
  The 
  cherty 
  sandstones 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  side 
  of 
  this 
  latter 
  

   fault 
  are 
  the 
  Cummingstone 
  and 
  Lossiemouth 
  series, 
  while 
  the 
  pebble- 
  

   beds 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  side 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  strata 
  underlying 
  the 
  reptiliferous 
  

   sandstones, 
  and 
  are, 
  in 
  position, 
  similar 
  to 
  the 
  pebble-beds 
  of 
  Mine- 
  

   side 
  and 
  Millstone 
  Quarries. 
  Of 
  these 
  two 
  faults, 
  the 
  easterly 
  one 
  

   throws 
  down 
  the 
  strata 
  on 
  its 
  eastern 
  side, 
  and 
  the 
  same 
  effect 
  is 
  

   caused 
  also 
  by 
  the 
  western 
  fault. 
  

  

  § 
  6. 
  General 
  Conclusions 
  respecting 
  the 
  Strata 
  of 
  the 
  Elgin 
  district. 
  

  

  The 
  foregoing 
  observations 
  on 
  the 
  several 
  areas 
  where 
  limestones 
  

   occur 
  in 
  the 
  district 
  around 
  Elgin 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  Findhorn 
  justify 
  the 
  

   conclusion 
  that, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  the 
  Foths 
  limestone 
  *, 
  which 
  

   is 
  a 
  local 
  deposit, 
  there 
  is 
  only 
  one 
  limestone 
  in 
  this 
  district. 
  Con- 
  

   formably 
  beneath 
  this 
  limestone 
  there 
  occur 
  cherty 
  sandstones, 
  

   which 
  are 
  reptiliferous 
  at 
  their 
  base, 
  and 
  which 
  rest 
  conformably 
  

   upon 
  pebble-beds 
  and 
  conglomerates, 
  which 
  pass 
  gradually 
  down- 
  

   wards 
  into 
  whitish 
  sandstones 
  containing 
  Holoptychius 
  and 
  Glypto- 
  

   pomus. 
  Underneath 
  these 
  whitish 
  sandstones, 
  and 
  agreeing 
  with 
  

   them 
  in 
  inclination, 
  are 
  the 
  yellow 
  sandstones 
  affording 
  Holoptychius, 
  

   and 
  superposed 
  upon 
  grey 
  and 
  purple 
  sandstones 
  with 
  pebble-beds, 
  

   which, 
  besides 
  furnishing 
  scales 
  of 
  Holoptychius, 
  yield 
  also 
  those 
  of 
  

   the 
  so-called 
  Bothriolepis. 
  These 
  latter 
  strata 
  pass 
  downwards 
  into 
  

   purplish 
  beds 
  containing 
  the 
  same 
  fossils, 
  and 
  resting 
  upon 
  the 
  

   coarse 
  conglomerates 
  — 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  purely 
  sedimentary 
  rocks 
  as 
  

   they 
  occur 
  in 
  the 
  Elgin 
  district. 
  These 
  circumstances 
  justify 
  a 
  still 
  

   further 
  conclusion, 
  namely, 
  that 
  all 
  the 
  strata 
  in 
  this 
  locality, 
  from 
  

   the 
  limestones 
  to 
  the 
  lower 
  conglomerates, 
  are 
  part 
  and 
  parcel 
  of 
  

   one 
  series 
  of 
  rocks, 
  and 
  that 
  this 
  series 
  is 
  the 
  Old 
  Red 
  Sandstone 
  t. 
  

  

  § 
  7. 
  Section 
  from 
  the 
  Nigg 
  to 
  C 
  ambus- 
  Shandwick, 
  Ross-shire. 
  

  

  The 
  occurrence 
  of 
  Reptilian 
  footprints 
  in 
  the 
  sandstones 
  of 
  the 
  

   Tarbetness 
  promontory 
  has 
  recently 
  been 
  made 
  public 
  in 
  a 
  com- 
  

   munication 
  to 
  the 
  Geological 
  Society, 
  through 
  Sir 
  R. 
  I. 
  Murchison, 
  

   by 
  the 
  Rev. 
  Dr. 
  Gordon 
  and 
  the 
  Rev. 
  J. 
  M. 
  Joass 
  +. 
  

  

  In 
  this 
  communication 
  the 
  arrangement 
  of 
  the 
  strata 
  occurring 
  

   along 
  the 
  cliffs 
  between 
  Geanies, 
  about 
  seven 
  miles 
  S.S.W. 
  of 
  Tar- 
  

   betness, 
  and 
  Portmahomack 
  is 
  described. 
  As 
  this 
  line 
  of 
  coast 
  runs 
  

   obliquely 
  to 
  the 
  dip 
  of 
  the 
  strata, 
  the 
  thickness 
  of 
  the 
  several 
  de- 
  

   posits 
  is 
  difficult 
  to 
  arrive 
  at 
  ; 
  the 
  exposures 
  of 
  rocks 
  along 
  this 
  coast 
  

   are, 
  however, 
  so 
  abundant 
  that 
  a 
  perfectly 
  correct 
  idea 
  can 
  be 
  ob- 
  

   tained 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  sequence 
  of 
  the 
  strata 
  between 
  these 
  two 
  points. 
  

   In 
  fact, 
  either 
  in 
  the 
  cliffs 
  or 
  on 
  the 
  shore, 
  from 
  the 
  south 
  of 
  Geanies 
  

   to 
  Portmahomack, 
  there 
  is 
  one 
  continuous 
  series 
  of 
  rocks 
  exposed, 
  

   without 
  the 
  least 
  interruption. 
  When 
  examining 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  coast, 
  

  

  * 
  See 
  Sir 
  R. 
  I. 
  Murchison's 
  Memoir, 
  Quart. 
  Joiirn. 
  Geol. 
  Soc. 
  vol. 
  xv. 
  p. 
  424. 
  

  

  f 
  In 
  the 
  body 
  of 
  this 
  memoir, 
  allusion 
  has 
  been 
  made 
  to 
  the 
  assistance 
  I 
  have 
  

   received 
  from 
  the 
  Rev. 
  Dr. 
  Gordon 
  of 
  Birnie. 
  I 
  have 
  still 
  further 
  to 
  add 
  that 
  

   I 
  am 
  indebted 
  to 
  this 
  gentleman 
  for 
  a 
  knowledge 
  of 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  localities 
  where, 
  

   in 
  the 
  neighbourhood 
  of 
  Elgin, 
  exposures 
  of 
  rock 
  occur. 
  

  

  j 
  Quart. 
  Journ. 
  Geol. 
  Soc. 
  vol. 
  xix. 
  p. 
  506. 
  

  

  