62 



PEOCEEDINGS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



boniferous Limestone, one branch coming from a cave near Gbrdale 

 Scar, then flows over the very thick formation of Millstone-grit, 

 reaches the Coal-measures between Shipley and Bingley, and, passing- 

 over the Magnesian Limestone and the New E,ed Sandstone, empties 

 itself into the Humber, or a branch of the Humber, near Goole. 

 The valley-gravel at Leeds is famous for the fine remains of Hippo- 

 potamus found in 1852. The bottom of the valley through which 

 the Aire flows is from one-half to one and a half mile wide, and is 

 coated over with a deposit of gravel and rolled boulders of unequal 

 thickness and elevation, consisting principally of limestone at the 

 upper part near Malham and Skipton, and of Millstone-grit and 

 sandstone near Leeds, with some limestone boulders. The Bingley 

 gravel consists of Millstone-grit, sand, rock, and limestone in large 

 percentage. Some boulders of limestone are found near the mouth 

 of the river near Goole ; but at Bingley, fourteen miles from Skipton 

 in a direct line, they form a considerable percentage of the whole 

 gravel. Until the Leeds and Liverpool Canal vras made between 

 Leeds and Skipton, this valley-gravel was turned over for the pur- 

 pose of removing the limestone boulders for burning into lime. 

 There are numerous remains of old limestone-quarries and lime- 

 kihis at Bingley, although it is ten miles from the nearest limestone 

 rock. 



Fig. 2. — Map of part of the river Aire. 



Pig. 2 is a plan of the Aire valley between Bingley and Shipley, 

 showing the lines of sections A B and C D from the sandstone-rocks 

 on each side of the valley. (See PL lY. figs. 2 and 3, for details of 

 the sections ; and to these I will now refer.) 



The section (fig. 4, PL IV.) through Ashfield, half a mile east of 

 Bingley, exposes a thick gravel- and boulder- deposit, forming what 

 are called the Old Hills. This gravel has been worked over for the 

 blocks of limestone it contains, leaving an irregular surface. 



