﻿438 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SOCIETY. 
  [Julie 
  22, 
  

  

  I 
  had 
  the 
  advantage 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Joass's 
  company 
  and 
  knowledge, 
  and 
  

   was 
  also 
  furnished 
  by 
  him 
  with 
  a 
  copy 
  of 
  the 
  communication 
  to 
  Sir 
  

   B. 
  I. 
  Murchison 
  on 
  the 
  rocks 
  of 
  this 
  district*. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  also, 
  since 
  I 
  examined 
  this 
  coast, 
  received 
  from 
  Mr. 
  Joass 
  

   information 
  concerning 
  the 
  contact 
  between 
  the 
  metamorphic 
  rocks 
  

   of 
  the 
  Nigg, 
  at 
  the 
  northern 
  entrance 
  into 
  Cromarty 
  Bay, 
  and 
  the 
  

   sandstones 
  which 
  occur 
  to 
  the 
  north. 
  At 
  their 
  base 
  these 
  sand- 
  

   stones 
  have 
  a 
  conglomeratic 
  nature, 
  being 
  made 
  up, 
  as 
  seen 
  on 
  the 
  

   beach, 
  of 
  fragments 
  of 
  quartz-rock; 
  and 
  as 
  these 
  sandstones 
  ap- 
  

   proach 
  the 
  Metamorphic 
  series, 
  they 
  put 
  on 
  an 
  indurated 
  cherty 
  

   aspect, 
  " 
  passing 
  into 
  a 
  sort 
  of 
  quartzite." 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  appearance 
  

   of 
  the 
  lower 
  strata 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  seen 
  near 
  Shandwick. 
  These 
  coarse 
  

   beds 
  are 
  succeeded 
  at 
  Ballintore 
  by 
  yellow 
  thick-bedded 
  sandstones, 
  

   which, 
  at 
  Hilton 
  of 
  Codboll, 
  are 
  succeeded 
  by 
  grey 
  flaggy 
  sand- 
  

   stones 
  ; 
  upon 
  the 
  latter 
  is 
  seen, 
  both 
  on 
  the 
  shore 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  oppo- 
  

   site 
  cliff, 
  a 
  band 
  of 
  limestone 
  (cornstone) 
  about. 
  nine 
  feet 
  in 
  thick- 
  

   ness; 
  to 
  this 
  succeed 
  coarse 
  yellowish 
  sandstones, 
  upon 
  which 
  a 
  

   thick 
  series 
  of 
  red 
  and 
  yellow 
  sandstones 
  occurs, 
  and 
  passes 
  conform- 
  

   ably 
  under 
  the 
  rocks 
  forming 
  the 
  cliffs 
  at 
  Geanies. 
  

  

  The 
  strata, 
  from 
  the 
  Metamorphic 
  rocks 
  immediately 
  south-west 
  

   of 
  Shandwick, 
  dip 
  continuously, 
  except 
  a 
  small 
  patch 
  on 
  the 
  shore, 
  

   to 
  the 
  N.W. 
  at 
  25° 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  series, 
  from 
  the 
  conglomeratic 
  base 
  to 
  

   the 
  Geanies 
  rocks, 
  must 
  have 
  a 
  vertical 
  thickness 
  of 
  about 
  1500 
  feet 
  ; 
  

   and 
  the 
  strata 
  forming 
  this 
  series 
  belong 
  all 
  to 
  the 
  Lower 
  Old 
  Red 
  

   Sandstone. 
  

  

  The 
  small 
  patch 
  on 
  the 
  shore 
  has 
  an 
  opposite 
  or 
  S.E. 
  inclination 
  ; 
  

   and 
  these 
  reversed 
  dips 
  mark 
  the 
  occurrence 
  near 
  this 
  of 
  an 
  anticlinal 
  

   axis, 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  alluded 
  to 
  by 
  Sir 
  B. 
  I. 
  Murchison 
  and 
  Pro- 
  

   fessor 
  Sedgwick 
  f. 
  

  

  This 
  anticlinal, 
  which 
  has 
  a 
  north-east 
  and 
  south-west 
  course, 
  

   runs 
  along 
  the 
  coast 
  nearly 
  parallel 
  to 
  the 
  cliffs 
  from 
  the 
  Nigg 
  to 
  

   the 
  east 
  of 
  Tarbetness. 
  It 
  rises 
  vertically 
  towards 
  the 
  south-west 
  ; 
  

   and 
  as 
  the 
  area 
  traversed 
  by 
  this 
  axis 
  has 
  been 
  denuded, 
  we 
  have 
  

   the 
  lower 
  strata 
  of 
  the 
  Old 
  Bed 
  formation 
  exposed 
  in 
  a 
  south- 
  

   westerly 
  direction, 
  while 
  to 
  the 
  north-east 
  the 
  newer 
  portion 
  of 
  that 
  

   series 
  makes 
  its 
  appearance. 
  

  

  At 
  Geanies, 
  although 
  the 
  rocks 
  are 
  conformable 
  to 
  the 
  beds 
  lying 
  to 
  

   the 
  south-west, 
  strata 
  of 
  a 
  widely 
  different 
  lithological 
  nature 
  occur. 
  

   Here, 
  forming 
  bold 
  cliffs, 
  grey 
  flaggy 
  sandstones 
  with 
  intercalated 
  

   grey 
  strata 
  form 
  the 
  escarpment, 
  and 
  in 
  them 
  fossils 
  are 
  met 
  with. 
  

   These 
  grey 
  rocks 
  and 
  their 
  organic 
  contents 
  have 
  been 
  alluded 
  to 
  by 
  

   Sir 
  B. 
  I. 
  Murchison 
  and 
  Professor 
  Sedgwick 
  J. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  strata 
  

   here 
  are 
  highly 
  calcareous, 
  as 
  the 
  springs 
  which 
  emanate 
  therefrom 
  

   abound 
  in 
  carbonate 
  of 
  lime, 
  which 
  appears 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  Calc-sinter 
  

   wherever 
  springs 
  are 
  seen 
  in 
  connexion 
  with 
  those 
  grey 
  beds. 
  

  

  The 
  fossils 
  which 
  these 
  strata 
  afford 
  consist 
  of 
  Fish-remains 
  in 
  the 
  

  

  * 
  I 
  also 
  enjoyed 
  the 
  hospitality 
  of 
  W. 
  H. 
  Murray, 
  Esq., 
  of 
  Geanies, 
  whose 
  

   property 
  is 
  situated 
  in 
  the 
  district, 
  and 
  was 
  thus 
  enabled 
  to 
  examine 
  in 
  detail 
  

   the 
  rocks 
  of 
  this 
  coast. 
  

  

  t 
  Trans. 
  Geol. 
  Soc. 
  2nd 
  series, 
  vol. 
  iii. 
  p. 
  140. 
  } 
  Ibid. 
  p. 
  150. 
  

  

  