﻿GBAVEL 
  BEDS 
  OF 
  ABERDEENSHIKE. 
  153 
  

  

  clay 
  ; 
  for 
  in 
  those 
  sections 
  where 
  the 
  two 
  occur 
  together 
  the 
  sand 
  

   lies 
  above 
  the 
  pebbly 
  gravel 
  and 
  seems 
  to 
  graduate 
  upward 
  into 
  the 
  

   clay. 
  It 
  likewise 
  usually 
  contains 
  seams 
  of 
  red 
  clay 
  and 
  silt 
  inter- 
  

   laminated 
  with 
  it, 
  especially 
  in 
  the 
  upper 
  half 
  ; 
  and 
  very 
  possibly 
  

   part 
  of 
  the 
  sand 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  a 
  precipitate 
  from 
  the 
  muddy 
  water 
  

   in 
  which 
  the 
  red 
  clay 
  was 
  suspended. 
  These 
  thick 
  masses 
  of 
  sand 
  

   seem 
  to 
  be 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  lower 
  levels, 
  and 
  do 
  not 
  range 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  

   same 
  height 
  as 
  the 
  pebbly 
  gravel 
  and 
  red 
  clay, 
  I 
  have 
  never 
  found 
  

   any 
  shells 
  in 
  the 
  sand 
  that 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  contemporaneous 
  with 
  the 
  

   time 
  of 
  its 
  deposition. 
  

  

  The 
  gravel 
  of 
  the 
  Kippet 
  Hills 
  occasionally 
  contains 
  rolled 
  cal- 
  

   careous 
  nodules, 
  in 
  which 
  fragments 
  of 
  shells 
  may 
  be 
  perceived. 
  

   These 
  calcareous 
  nodules 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  nature 
  as 
  the 
  

   concrete 
  or 
  hard 
  paste 
  that 
  fills 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  shells 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  shells 
  

   containing 
  this 
  concrete 
  have 
  been 
  broken, 
  rolled, 
  and 
  worn 
  after 
  

   they 
  were 
  filled 
  with 
  it. 
  Mr. 
  Searles 
  Y. 
  Wood 
  considers 
  that 
  this 
  

   fact 
  proves 
  the 
  shells 
  to 
  be 
  derived 
  from 
  beds 
  of 
  older 
  date 
  than 
  the 
  

   gravel 
  now 
  containing 
  them 
  — 
  an 
  opinion 
  in 
  which 
  I 
  concur. 
  This 
  

   shows 
  that 
  remains 
  of 
  marine 
  shells 
  may 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  glacial 
  deposits 
  

   and 
  yet 
  afford 
  no 
  proof 
  that 
  such 
  deposits 
  were 
  accumulated 
  by 
  the 
  

   sea. 
  

  

  If 
  a 
  distinctive 
  name 
  is 
  wanted 
  for 
  this 
  shelly 
  gravel, 
  it 
  might 
  be 
  

   termed 
  " 
  the 
  Stains 
  Gravel" 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  best 
  developed 
  beside 
  the 
  Loch 
  

   of 
  Slains 
  ; 
  while 
  the 
  deep 
  mass 
  of 
  sand 
  might 
  be 
  called 
  " 
  the 
  Col- 
  

   lieston 
  Sand" 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  well 
  displayed 
  beside 
  that 
  village. 
  

  

  The 
  bed 
  of 
  coarse 
  grey 
  stuff 
  at 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  sections 
  differs 
  

   decidedly 
  from 
  the 
  shelly 
  gravel 
  above 
  it, 
  and 
  indicates 
  transport 
  

   from 
  a 
  different 
  direction 
  and 
  under 
  different 
  conditions. 
  Its 
  colour, 
  

   texture, 
  and 
  mineral 
  contents 
  are 
  all 
  different. 
  Glacier 
  ice 
  covering 
  

   the 
  country 
  might 
  accumulate 
  such 
  a 
  mass 
  beneath 
  it. 
  In 
  the 
  

   district 
  of 
  Slains 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  rock 
  is 
  seldom 
  exposed, 
  except 
  

   along 
  the 
  coast, 
  and 
  no 
  glacial 
  markings 
  have 
  come 
  under 
  my 
  

   notice 
  ; 
  but 
  further 
  inland, 
  in 
  the 
  Ellon 
  neighbourhood, 
  the 
  direction 
  

   of 
  the 
  ice-scratches 
  below 
  the 
  old 
  Boulder-clay 
  is 
  generally 
  nearly 
  

   E. 
  and 
  W., 
  as 
  if 
  caused 
  by 
  ice 
  coming 
  from 
  the 
  westward 
  and 
  

   moving 
  towards 
  the 
  coast 
  ; 
  while 
  the 
  ice-worn 
  rocks 
  are 
  covered 
  by 
  

   a 
  bed 
  of 
  grey 
  Boulder- 
  clay, 
  which 
  differs 
  from 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  coast- 
  

   section 
  chiefly 
  in 
  being 
  harder, 
  tougher, 
  and 
  more 
  full 
  of 
  ice-worn 
  

   stones 
  of 
  various 
  kinds 
  ; 
  and 
  above 
  it 
  we 
  have 
  in 
  many 
  places 
  a 
  

   bed 
  of 
  red 
  clay 
  identical 
  in 
  appearance 
  with 
  that 
  found 
  in 
  Slains. 
  

   It 
  seems 
  to 
  me, 
  therefore, 
  that 
  the 
  bottom 
  bed 
  of 
  the 
  coast-section 
  

   has 
  been 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  land-ice 
  also 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  fact 
  of 
  its 
  mineral 
  

   contents 
  often 
  consisting 
  almost 
  wholly 
  of 
  the 
  debris 
  of 
  the 
  adja- 
  

   cent 
  rock 
  implies 
  a 
  more 
  local 
  origin. 
  

  

  The 
  shelly 
  gravel, 
  however, 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  come 
  from 
  some 
  other 
  

   direction 
  ; 
  and 
  if 
  so, 
  it 
  indicates 
  a 
  change 
  of 
  movement 
  in 
  the 
  trans- 
  

   porting 
  agent. 
  The 
  fact 
  of 
  its 
  containing 
  pieces 
  of 
  serpentine, 
  like 
  

   that 
  which 
  occurs 
  in 
  situ 
  at 
  Belhelvie, 
  ten 
  miles 
  to 
  the 
  south-west, 
  

  

  m2 
  

  

  