﻿OF 
  THE 
  ABERDEENSHIRE 
  COAST. 
  163 
  

  

  also 
  round 
  Peterhead 
  and 
  even 
  as 
  far 
  north 
  as 
  St. 
  Fergus, 
  which 
  is 
  

   30 
  miles 
  from 
  Aberdeen 
  and 
  45 
  from 
  Stonehaven. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  still 
  more 
  evidence 
  to 
  show 
  whence 
  the 
  Red 
  Clay 
  has 
  

   come 
  ; 
  for 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  debris 
  of 
  the 
  Old 
  tied 
  Sandstone 
  itself 
  

   we 
  find 
  many 
  stones 
  of 
  a 
  volcanic 
  nature, 
  unlike 
  the 
  rocks 
  of 
  Aber- 
  

   deenshire 
  or 
  the 
  North 
  of 
  Scotland, 
  but 
  resembling 
  the 
  masses 
  of 
  

   trap 
  which 
  occur 
  in 
  the 
  sandstone 
  district 
  of 
  Forfar 
  and 
  Kincardine. 
  

   We 
  also 
  get 
  bits 
  of 
  jasper, 
  sometimes 
  an 
  agate, 
  and 
  pieces 
  of 
  a 
  

   greenish 
  stone 
  like 
  the 
  hard-mud 
  beds 
  of 
  the 
  sandstone 
  series, 
  all 
  

   which 
  seems 
  to 
  point 
  clearly 
  to 
  a 
  drift 
  from 
  the 
  southward 
  : 
  and 
  

   when 
  I 
  add 
  that 
  this 
  red 
  clay 
  may 
  be 
  traced 
  continuously 
  along 
  

   from 
  Stonehaven 
  to 
  Aberdeen, 
  and 
  thus 
  into 
  the 
  Red-Clay 
  district 
  I 
  

   am 
  describing, 
  the 
  probability 
  becomes 
  very 
  strong 
  that 
  the 
  source 
  

   of 
  the 
  clay 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  sought 
  in 
  the 
  Eed 
  Sandstone 
  and 
  Conglomerate 
  

   region 
  to 
  the 
  southward. 
  

  

  3. 
  Driet 
  ekom 
  the 
  Southward. 
  

  

  That 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  a 
  drift 
  along 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  some 
  kind 
  from 
  the 
  

   south 
  is 
  further 
  shown 
  by 
  the 
  transport 
  of 
  other 
  rocks. 
  About 
  six 
  

   miles 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  of 
  Aberdeen, 
  in 
  the 
  parish 
  of 
  Belhelvie, 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  

   ridge 
  of 
  well-marked 
  rock 
  composed 
  of 
  serpentine 
  and 
  diallage 
  which 
  

   has 
  sent 
  off 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  heavy 
  boulders. 
  These 
  are 
  scattered 
  

   along 
  the 
  coast 
  to 
  the 
  north-east 
  of 
  the 
  ridge 
  in 
  question, 
  while 
  

   smaller 
  fragments 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  more 
  and 
  more 
  sparingly 
  as 
  we 
  

   go 
  northward 
  towards 
  Kewburgh 
  and 
  Peterhead, 
  a 
  few 
  occurring 
  

   even 
  beyond 
  the 
  latter 
  town, 
  while 
  they 
  seem 
  absent 
  to 
  the 
  south 
  

   and 
  west. 
  

  

  4. 
  Change 
  oe 
  Direction 
  in 
  the 
  Ice-elow. 
  

  

  I 
  shall 
  now 
  mention 
  some 
  facts 
  I 
  observed 
  a 
  good 
  many 
  years 
  

   ago 
  which 
  have 
  a 
  bearing 
  on 
  the 
  subject 
  I 
  am 
  considering 
  Three 
  

   miles 
  along 
  the 
  coast 
  to 
  the 
  south 
  of 
  Aberdeen 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  

   fishing-village 
  called 
  the 
  Cove, 
  where 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  railway-station. 
  

   Here 
  there 
  are 
  some 
  granite-quarries, 
  where 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  rock 
  

   exhibits 
  clear 
  marks 
  of 
  glaciation. 
  The 
  ice-grooves 
  run 
  in 
  two 
  

   directions, 
  there 
  being 
  an 
  older 
  set 
  and 
  a 
  newer. 
  Both 
  are 
  well 
  

   marked, 
  the 
  older 
  set 
  being 
  perhaps 
  the 
  most 
  extensively 
  developed. 
  

   In 
  these 
  quarries 
  there 
  are 
  also 
  two 
  beds 
  of 
  Boulder-clay, 
  an 
  older 
  

   and 
  a 
  newer, 
  which 
  afford 
  a 
  further 
  means 
  of 
  distinguishing 
  the 
  

   relative 
  age 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  sets 
  of 
  striaj. 
  The 
  lowermost 
  and 
  oldest 
  

   clay 
  is 
  of 
  a 
  grey 
  colour 
  and 
  contains 
  fragments 
  of 
  gneiss 
  and 
  

   granite. 
  It 
  is 
  chiefly 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  depressions 
  of 
  the 
  rock, 
  where 
  it 
  

   has 
  escaped 
  denudation. 
  The 
  upper 
  and 
  newer 
  bed 
  is 
  red 
  in 
  colour 
  

   and 
  contains 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  reddish 
  quartz 
  pebbles, 
  derived 
  apparently 
  

   from 
  the 
  Old 
  Red 
  Conglomerate, 
  and 
  also 
  pieces 
  of 
  volcanic 
  rocks, 
  

   neither 
  of 
  which 
  seem 
  to 
  occur 
  in 
  the 
  grey 
  clay 
  below. 
  The 
  

   difference 
  in 
  hue 
  between 
  the 
  two 
  clays 
  is 
  very 
  distinct 
  when 
  newly 
  

   excavated. 
  Both 
  are 
  hard 
  and 
  tough 
  and 
  require 
  to 
  be 
  broken 
  up 
  

   by 
  the 
  pickaxe, 
  being 
  impenetrable 
  by 
  the 
  spade 
  alone. 
  Beneath 
  

   the 
  grey 
  stuff 
  the 
  ice-grooves 
  point 
  about 
  S. 
  70° 
  W., 
  varying, 
  how- 
  

  

  