﻿OF 
  THE 
  ABERDEEN-SHIRE 
  COAST. 
  177 
  

  

  bedded 
  gravel 
  and 
  sand 
  very 
  irregularly 
  placed. 
  This 
  upper 
  coarse 
  

   gravel 
  varies 
  in 
  thickness 
  from 
  15 
  to 
  20 
  or 
  25 
  feet, 
  and 
  is 
  coarsest 
  

   in 
  quality 
  towards 
  the 
  south 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  section, 
  where 
  a 
  distinction 
  

   is 
  observable 
  in 
  it, 
  the 
  uppermost 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  feet 
  consisting 
  of 
  

   angular 
  stones 
  and 
  chips 
  of 
  granite 
  and 
  gneiss 
  of 
  all 
  sizes, 
  sticking 
  

   in 
  all 
  manner 
  of 
  positions 
  in 
  a 
  matrix 
  of 
  ferruginous 
  muddy 
  sand 
  ; 
  

   while 
  large 
  boulders 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  kinds 
  of 
  rock 
  are 
  imbedded 
  in 
  the 
  

   surface, 
  back 
  from 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  bank. 
  Below 
  this 
  the 
  gravel 
  

   is 
  of 
  a 
  looser 
  texture, 
  but 
  still 
  very 
  coarse 
  and 
  full 
  of 
  large 
  stones. 
  

   Some 
  of 
  the 
  stones 
  in 
  it 
  are 
  rounded 
  as 
  if 
  water-rolled 
  ; 
  and 
  in 
  this 
  

   lower 
  portion 
  I 
  here 
  noticed 
  some 
  wasted 
  lumps 
  and 
  nodules 
  of 
  red 
  

   clay, 
  likewise 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  reddish 
  quartz 
  pebbles 
  which 
  appear 
  to 
  

   have 
  come 
  from 
  the 
  Old 
  Red 
  Sandstone 
  conglomerate. 
  At 
  the 
  very 
  

   bottom, 
  where 
  it 
  meets 
  the 
  grey 
  Boulder-clay 
  at 
  the 
  south 
  end 
  of 
  

   the 
  section, 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  seam 
  of 
  finer 
  gravel 
  3 
  or 
  4 
  inches 
  thick. 
  

  

  This 
  upper 
  gravel 
  or 
  mass 
  of 
  stony 
  rubbish 
  has 
  all 
  the 
  appearance 
  

   of 
  being 
  a 
  morainic 
  accumulation. 
  It 
  has 
  none 
  of 
  the 
  features 
  of 
  

   a 
  raised 
  beach, 
  and 
  seems 
  to 
  contain 
  no 
  trace 
  of 
  marine 
  shells 
  or 
  

   other 
  organic 
  remains. 
  It 
  ranges 
  over 
  the 
  adjacent 
  heathy 
  ridge 
  

   of 
  high 
  ground 
  called 
  the 
  Hill 
  of 
  Nigg, 
  where 
  the 
  morainic 
  cha- 
  

   racter 
  of 
  the 
  heaps 
  of 
  stones 
  and 
  boulders 
  is 
  very 
  marked. 
  Its 
  

   position 
  in 
  the 
  section, 
  and 
  the 
  fact 
  of 
  its 
  containing 
  lumps 
  of 
  the 
  

   red 
  clay, 
  show 
  it 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  later 
  origin 
  than 
  that 
  deposit. 
  This 
  

   harmonizes 
  with 
  the 
  evidence 
  we 
  find 
  at 
  Belhelvie, 
  and 
  proves 
  that, 
  

   after 
  the 
  transport 
  of 
  the 
  red 
  stuff 
  from 
  the 
  south, 
  the 
  glacier 
  of 
  the 
  

   Dee 
  again 
  came 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  coast 
  and 
  played 
  havoc 
  amongst 
  the 
  clay 
  

   beds 
  that 
  lay 
  in 
  its 
  road. 
  

  

  Note 
  to 
  the 
  Map 
  (p. 
  161). 
  

  

  The 
  map 
  shows 
  approximately 
  the 
  area 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  Red 
  Clay 
  is 
  

   met 
  with. 
  In 
  some 
  places 
  outlying 
  patches 
  may 
  be 
  found 
  a 
  little 
  

   beyond 
  the 
  limits 
  I 
  have 
  assigned 
  to 
  it, 
  showing 
  that 
  at 
  one 
  time 
  

   it 
  covered 
  a 
  larger 
  extent 
  of 
  ground. 
  It 
  must 
  also 
  be 
  under- 
  

   stood 
  that 
  the 
  clay 
  does 
  not 
  cover 
  all 
  the 
  tract 
  coloured 
  red, 
  there 
  

   being 
  many 
  places 
  in 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  either 
  wanting 
  or 
  hidden 
  by 
  

   overlying 
  masses 
  of 
  more 
  recent 
  origin. 
  Along 
  the 
  Kincardineshire 
  

   coast, 
  between 
  Aberdeen 
  and 
  Stonehaven, 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  seem 
  to 
  extend 
  

   far 
  inland, 
  and 
  is 
  generally 
  of 
  a 
  coarse 
  pebbly 
  nature 
  like 
  a 
  Boulder- 
  

   clay, 
  occurring 
  in 
  patches 
  on 
  the 
  high 
  rocky 
  ground 
  which 
  borders 
  

   the 
  sea, 
  but 
  stretching 
  further 
  inland 
  near 
  Stonehaven. 
  

  

  