ROOKS OF SOMERSET AXD DEVOX. 373 



breccia rests directly upon the older rocks, though we are inclined 

 to consider its position as indicative of a nucleus of older rock, 

 brought up by faults, but not exposed, through the greater durability 

 of the Triassic beds thrown down upon it. 



To continue the thread of our notice of the marginal sandstones 

 on the Quantock slopes, interrupted by this necessary digression, — 

 between the Spaxton valley and Over Stowey we find sandstones 

 fringing the older rocks, but superficially forming a band of no 

 great breadth. At Xether Stowey, however, we find the sandstones 

 flanking the older rocks, and at Doddington overlain by marls which 

 continue to the Liassic districts on the north, extending for some 

 distance from their margin, and connecting sandstone beds, in places 

 flanking the Devonian inlier of Eadlet Farm, with the marginal sand- 

 stones on the Quantock slopes. The southern boundary of this 

 exposure of sandstone is formed by one of the three great faults 

 before mentioned, bringing up marls on the south. 



Upon the north side of the most northerly of these three great 

 faults, the sandstones of Doddington appear to the south of Fid- 

 dington, in a small valley between that point and Cannington Park, 

 and to the south of Cannington Park, proving their continuity in 

 that district under the marls. 



By similar reasoning, into which we cannot now enter, we are 

 led to infer that the sandstones flanking the Quantocks arc of the 

 same age with those brought up here and there by faults and 

 exposed on the sides of Devonian inliers. Whether, when the area 

 of Bridgewater first came within the influence of Triassic waters, 

 breccias were thrown down over a much larger area than the 

 vicinity of Weinbdon Hill and subsequently overlapped by sand- 

 stones, or formed merely a local variation of arenaceous beds at 

 first deposited, we are unable te say. 



(/3) Vcde-oj "-Taunton District. 



In the vale of Taunton we find, superficially at least, an order of 

 deposition and mode of occurrence in the Triassic strata as simple 

 as that exhibited in the Mendip country ; but on either side of it 

 the relations of the beds are more obscure, owing to the greater 

 lithological differences observable and the occurrence of numerous 

 faults ; yet when we trace the marginal sandstones on the Quantocks 

 from Durston westwards, as we have already done in the Bridge- 

 water district, we shall find that they form a connecting link be- 

 tween the deposits of the Bridgewater area, and the more complicated 

 divisions of west Somerset and Devon, — in other words, that a con- 

 temporaneous deposition of arenaceous material took place in the 

 Watchet-valley, Yale-of-Taunton, and Bridgewater district. From 

 Durston these sandstones gradually attenuate at the surface, being 

 concealed by marl resting directly on the older rocks to the south- 

 east of Hestereombe; at Cheddon Fitzpaine they reappear, being 

 brought up by fault, and, with an average breadth of half a mile, 

 continue to within a mile of Kingston (north of Taunton). Here 

 marls rest upon the older rocks. To the west of Kingston, how- 

 ever, sandstones reappear and exhibit some superficial development : 



