﻿246 
  BINNEY 
  AND 
  KIKKBY 
  ON 
  THE 
  UPPER 
  BEDS 
  

  

  irregular 
  structure, 
  aud 
  full 
  of 
  light-coloured 
  slightly 
  calcareous 
  

   concretions. 
  It 
  passes 
  underneath 
  into 
  a 
  bright 
  red 
  false-bedded 
  

   sandstone, 
  which 
  ranges 
  behind 
  and 
  beneath 
  the 
  east 
  pier 
  at 
  Methil. 
  

   The 
  fairway 
  of 
  the 
  harbour 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  occupy 
  the 
  place 
  of 
  a 
  soft 
  

   stratum 
  which 
  we 
  have 
  not 
  seen. 
  Then 
  comes 
  in 
  the 
  thick 
  mass 
  

   of 
  red 
  sandstone 
  (stained 
  with 
  yellow 
  at 
  the 
  top) 
  that 
  forms 
  the 
  

   Beacon 
  Eock 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  fairway. 
  This 
  sandstone 
  is 
  fully 
  

   30 
  feet 
  thick, 
  thus 
  making 
  nearly 
  290 
  feet 
  of 
  measures 
  from 
  the 
  

   commencement 
  of 
  the 
  section. 
  

  

  Following 
  come 
  about 
  100 
  feet 
  of 
  marl, 
  fireclays, 
  and 
  shales, 
  

   with 
  thin 
  sandstones, 
  all 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  red 
  in 
  colour. 
  

   The 
  marls 
  are 
  often 
  marked 
  with 
  green 
  spots, 
  and 
  contain 
  calcareous 
  

   concretions 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  fireclays 
  are, 
  in 
  places, 
  variegated 
  with 
  yellow 
  

   and 
  purple. 
  Remains 
  of 
  plants 
  occur 
  in 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  *. 
  

  

  Below 
  the 
  latter 
  series 
  of 
  strata 
  is 
  about 
  8 
  feet 
  of 
  purple 
  and 
  

   grey 
  sandstone, 
  which 
  is 
  hard 
  and 
  calcareous. 
  Afterwards 
  come 
  

   20 
  feet 
  of 
  red 
  and 
  grey 
  shale 
  and 
  fireclay, 
  with 
  two 
  thin 
  and 
  very 
  

   coarse 
  coals 
  or 
  black 
  bands, 
  and 
  several 
  thin 
  bands 
  of 
  argillaceous 
  

   limestone. 
  The 
  remains 
  of 
  fish, 
  Limuloid 
  Crustacea, 
  and 
  plants 
  are 
  

   found 
  in 
  these 
  beds. 
  

  

  Two 
  or 
  three 
  feet 
  of 
  calcareous 
  sandstone 
  follow, 
  and 
  then 
  nearly 
  

   50 
  feet 
  of 
  red, 
  pink, 
  purple, 
  and 
  grey 
  shale, 
  enclosing 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  

   bands 
  of 
  argillaceous 
  limestone 
  and 
  a 
  thin 
  bed 
  of 
  sandstone, 
  having 
  

   for 
  base 
  a 
  bed 
  of 
  hard 
  red 
  and 
  greenish 
  calcareous 
  sandstone, 
  from 
  

   two 
  to 
  three 
  feet 
  thick, 
  and 
  of 
  very 
  irregular 
  bedding 
  and 
  structure. 
  

   In 
  these 
  beds 
  occur 
  the 
  remains 
  of 
  fish, 
  mollusca, 
  and 
  plants. 
  

  

  The 
  rocks 
  we 
  have 
  noticed 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  Beacon 
  rock 
  at 
  Methil 
  are 
  

   all 
  seen 
  in 
  irregular 
  succession 
  within 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  600 
  yards 
  of 
  

   the 
  harbour. 
  

  

  A 
  series 
  of 
  faults 
  then 
  disturbs 
  the 
  sequence 
  of 
  the 
  strata, 
  and 
  

   causes 
  many 
  repetitions 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  beds. 
  At 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  places 
  

   lower 
  strata 
  are 
  seen, 
  as 
  a 
  little 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  of 
  Muiredge 
  Den, 
  where 
  

   a 
  thick 
  red 
  marl 
  (with 
  green 
  spots) 
  and 
  some 
  yellow 
  sandstone 
  are 
  

   seen 
  underlying 
  the 
  bed 
  of 
  hard 
  calcareous 
  sandstone. 
  The 
  dis- 
  

   turbed 
  ground 
  continues 
  to 
  near 
  the 
  west 
  end 
  of 
  Buckhaven 
  Links, 
  

   where, 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  side 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  fault, 
  the 
  two 
  thin 
  coals 
  with 
  

   shales, 
  and 
  a 
  thick 
  red 
  saudstonef 
  overlying 
  (forming 
  the 
  rocks 
  

   known 
  as 
  the 
  Broadhills), 
  are 
  thrown 
  again 
  into 
  section, 
  and 
  seen 
  

   for 
  the 
  last 
  time. 
  

  

  Between 
  the 
  point 
  last 
  named 
  and 
  Buckhaven 
  the 
  strata 
  are 
  

  

  * 
  In 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  fireclays 
  are 
  cylindrical 
  pieces 
  of 
  grey 
  limestone 
  from 
  

   10 
  to 
  12 
  inches 
  in 
  length 
  and 
  an 
  inch 
  in 
  diameter, 
  resembling 
  in 
  form 
  the 
  root- 
  

   lets 
  of 
  Stigmaria, 
  and 
  occurring 
  in 
  a 
  vertical 
  position. 
  One 
  of 
  them, 
  on 
  

   analysis, 
  gave 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  Carbonate 
  of 
  lime 
  50*61 
  

  

  Alumina 
  16-29 
  

  

  Magnesia 
  17*57 
  

  

  Silica 
  6*16 
  

  

  Oxide 
  of 
  iron 
  0*47 
  

  

  t 
  Apparently 
  the 
  sandstone 
  No. 
  27 
  of 
  detailed 
  section 
  (p. 
  253) 
  locally 
  

   thickened. 
  

  

  