﻿ON 
  THE 
  UPPER 
  BEDS 
  OF 
  THE 
  F1EESEIRE 
  COAL-MEASURES. 
  245 
  

  

  26. 
  On 
  the 
  Upper 
  Beds 
  of 
  the 
  Eifeshire 
  Coal-measures. 
  By 
  Edw. 
  

   W. 
  Binnet, 
  Esq., 
  E.R.S., 
  and 
  Jas. 
  W. 
  Kirkby, 
  Esq. 
  (Eead 
  

   January 
  25, 
  1882.) 
  

  

  [Plate 
  VI. 
  ] 
  

  

  Overlying 
  the 
  profitable 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  Eifeshire 
  Coal-measures 
  

   there 
  is 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  red 
  barren 
  beds, 
  of 
  which 
  we 
  have 
  not 
  seen 
  any 
  

   description. 
  Possibly 
  Mr. 
  Howell 
  refers 
  to 
  similar 
  measures, 
  as 
  

   occurring 
  in 
  Mid 
  Lothian, 
  in 
  the 
  Edinburgh 
  memoir 
  of 
  the 
  Geolo- 
  

   gical 
  Survey 
  (pp. 
  110, 
  111) 
  ; 
  and 
  since 
  the 
  date 
  of 
  that 
  memoir 
  an 
  

   upper 
  series 
  of 
  beds, 
  evidently 
  identical 
  with 
  that 
  of 
  Eife, 
  has 
  been 
  

   recognized 
  by 
  the 
  Geological 
  Survey 
  in 
  Lanarkshire, 
  and 
  described 
  

   as 
  a 
  separate 
  subdivision 
  (cW) 
  of 
  the 
  Coal-measures 
  *. 
  

  

  The 
  best 
  exposure 
  of 
  these 
  red 
  measures 
  in 
  Eife 
  is 
  on 
  the 
  coast 
  

   from 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Leven 
  to 
  East 
  Wemyss. 
  Having 
  somewhat 
  

   carefully 
  examined 
  this 
  section, 
  we 
  shall 
  notice 
  it 
  briefly 
  in 
  detail 
  

   — 
  first 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  succession 
  of 
  strata, 
  and 
  afterwards 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  fossils 
  

   found 
  in 
  them 
  — 
  and 
  so 
  give 
  some 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  series. 
  

  

  The 
  section 
  in 
  question 
  forms 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Wemyss 
  coal-field, 
  

   which, 
  with 
  the 
  smaller 
  adjoining 
  fields 
  of 
  other 
  lairds, 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  

   northerly 
  piece 
  of 
  true 
  Coal 
  Measures 
  existent 
  in 
  Britain 
  f. 
  The 
  

   dip 
  of 
  the 
  strata 
  is 
  easterly, 
  rarely 
  exceeding 
  10°, 
  generally 
  less 
  ; 
  

   and 
  as 
  the 
  trend 
  of 
  the 
  coast 
  is 
  north-east 
  and 
  south-west, 
  a 
  section 
  

   in 
  descending 
  order 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  observed 
  by 
  traversing 
  the 
  shore 
  from 
  

   the 
  Leven 
  westward. 
  

  

  The 
  highest 
  rock 
  seen 
  near 
  the 
  Leven 
  is 
  a 
  red 
  and 
  purplish 
  sand- 
  

   stone, 
  which 
  is 
  well 
  exposed 
  opposite 
  to 
  the 
  village 
  of 
  Innerleven, 
  

   and 
  which 
  extends 
  westward 
  600 
  yards 
  or 
  more, 
  near 
  to 
  Methil. 
  

   It 
  is 
  a 
  softish 
  rather 
  fine-grained 
  rock, 
  lying 
  apparently 
  rather 
  flat, 
  

   though 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  inclination 
  is 
  not 
  always 
  easy 
  to 
  see, 
  owiug 
  to 
  

   irregular 
  bedding 
  At 
  the 
  lowest 
  water 
  of 
  spring 
  tides 
  it 
  is 
  seen 
  

   extending 
  seaward 
  ; 
  so 
  that 
  its 
  full 
  thickness 
  is 
  evidently 
  not 
  shown. 
  

   Towards 
  the 
  west 
  it 
  is 
  usually 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  covered 
  with 
  sand 
  ; 
  and 
  

   it 
  is 
  only 
  after 
  storms 
  or 
  the 
  prevalence 
  of 
  certain 
  winds 
  that 
  this 
  

   portion 
  of 
  it 
  is 
  exposed. 
  Its 
  thickness 
  is 
  estimated 
  at 
  fully 
  200 
  

   feet. 
  

  

  (This 
  sandstone 
  is 
  considered 
  to 
  be 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Coal-measures, 
  as 
  

   it 
  apparently 
  dips 
  with 
  the 
  underlying 
  beds 
  ; 
  but 
  we 
  have 
  observed 
  

   no 
  fossils 
  in 
  it, 
  and 
  it 
  may 
  possibly 
  belong 
  to 
  a 
  later 
  formation. 
  It 
  

   is 
  certainly 
  the 
  highest 
  palaeozoic 
  rock 
  (sedimentary) 
  seen 
  in 
  Eife 
  ; 
  

   and 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  assumed 
  that 
  still 
  higher 
  measures 
  may 
  come 
  into 
  

   the 
  dip, 
  seaward, 
  beneath 
  the 
  Eirth 
  of 
  Eorth, 
  that 
  may 
  be 
  Permian.) 
  

  

  About 
  12 
  feet 
  of 
  soft 
  red 
  marl 
  lies 
  below 
  the 
  sandstone 
  ; 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  

   rarely 
  seen. 
  Erom 
  beneath 
  it 
  rises 
  a 
  red 
  marly 
  sandstone 
  of 
  very 
  

  

  * 
  Explanation 
  of 
  Sheet 
  23, 
  p. 
  17 
  ; 
  and 
  of 
  Sheet 
  31, 
  p. 
  11. 
  

  

  t 
  The 
  great 
  bulk 
  of 
  the 
  coal 
  wrought 
  in 
  Fife 
  comes 
  from 
  the 
  middle 
  por- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  Carboniferous-Limestone 
  series, 
  and 
  in 
  quality 
  it 
  is 
  fully 
  equal 
  to 
  

   that 
  obtained 
  from 
  the 
  true 
  Coal-measures. 
  

  

  Q.J.G.S. 
  No. 
  151 
  s 
  

  

  