﻿OF 
  THE 
  EIFESHIRE 
  COAL-MEASURES. 
  247 
  

  

  masked 
  by 
  sand, 
  except 
  at 
  one 
  place, 
  where 
  the 
  three-foot 
  bed 
  of 
  

   calcareous 
  sandstone 
  comes 
  up 
  and 
  forms 
  a 
  narrow 
  reef. 
  At 
  the 
  

   east 
  end 
  of 
  Buckhaven 
  the 
  rocks 
  again 
  come 
  to 
  the 
  surface, 
  and 
  

   form 
  a 
  continuous 
  section 
  westward. 
  The 
  first 
  rock 
  seen 
  is 
  a 
  yellow 
  

   sandstone, 
  which 
  is 
  considered 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  that 
  observed 
  

   below 
  the 
  red 
  marl 
  west 
  of 
  Muiredge 
  Den. 
  About 
  four 
  feet 
  of 
  red 
  

   marl 
  underlies 
  it 
  : 
  and 
  then 
  follows 
  a 
  thick 
  bed 
  of 
  light 
  red 
  sand- 
  

   stone. 
  This 
  latter 
  rock 
  is 
  coarse 
  and 
  gritty, 
  and 
  contains 
  white 
  

   quartz 
  pebbles. 
  

  

  Repeated 
  alternations 
  of 
  sandstone 
  and 
  shale 
  and 
  fireclay 
  follow 
  ; 
  

   and 
  these 
  form 
  the 
  rocks 
  that 
  are 
  exposed 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  Buckhaven. 
  

   The 
  sandstones 
  are 
  yellow, 
  red, 
  and 
  purple 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  fireclays 
  (which 
  

   prevail) 
  and 
  shales 
  are 
  red, 
  purple, 
  yellow, 
  and 
  white, 
  and 
  often 
  

   finely 
  variegated. 
  Two 
  bands 
  of 
  ochre 
  occur 
  in 
  the 
  upper 
  portion 
  

   of 
  this 
  series 
  ; 
  and 
  in 
  other 
  places 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  fireclays 
  are 
  very 
  

   ochreous. 
  The 
  thickness 
  of 
  this 
  set 
  of 
  beds 
  is 
  100 
  feet. 
  One 
  of 
  the 
  

   shales 
  contains 
  the 
  remains 
  of 
  Catamites; 
  but 
  as 
  a 
  rule 
  the 
  beds 
  

   appear 
  to 
  be 
  unfossiliferous. 
  

  

  Immediately 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  of 
  Buckhaven 
  Harbour 
  a 
  thick 
  reef 
  of 
  

   sandstone 
  rises 
  from 
  under 
  the 
  strata 
  just 
  noticed. 
  This 
  rock 
  is 
  red, 
  

   purple, 
  and 
  whitish 
  in 
  colour, 
  soft 
  and 
  thick-bedded, 
  rather 
  coarse 
  

   and 
  pebbly 
  towards 
  the 
  base 
  ; 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  about 
  30 
  feet 
  thick. 
  Within 
  

   the 
  harbour 
  are 
  numerous 
  strata 
  of 
  red, 
  yellow, 
  and 
  white 
  shale 
  or 
  

   fire-clay, 
  and 
  red 
  and 
  white 
  sandstone, 
  some 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  seen 
  in 
  

   the 
  low 
  cliffs 
  just 
  above 
  the 
  west 
  pier. 
  

  

  For 
  500 
  yards 
  or 
  more 
  west 
  of 
  Buckhaven 
  the 
  prevailing 
  rock 
  is 
  

   fireclay, 
  with 
  here 
  and 
  there 
  thin 
  and 
  irregular 
  beds 
  of 
  sandstone. 
  

   The 
  latter 
  are 
  red 
  and 
  yellow 
  in 
  colour. 
  The 
  fireclays 
  are 
  red, 
  

   purple, 
  yellow, 
  and 
  white, 
  of 
  various 
  bright 
  shades, 
  and 
  most 
  

   beautifully 
  variegated 
  *. 
  These 
  beds 
  (which 
  lie 
  very 
  flat) 
  are 
  esti- 
  

   mated 
  to 
  be 
  about 
  130 
  feet 
  thick. 
  

  

  A 
  thick 
  mass 
  of 
  red 
  sandstone 
  now 
  comes 
  to 
  the 
  surface, 
  and 
  

   continues 
  in 
  section 
  for 
  nearly 
  a 
  mile, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  trend 
  of 
  the 
  

   coast 
  being 
  here 
  almost 
  parallel 
  with 
  the 
  strike. 
  This 
  rock 
  is 
  soft, 
  

   sometimes 
  coarse, 
  and 
  with 
  pebbles 
  of 
  quartz 
  and 
  shale, 
  lami- 
  

   nated 
  in 
  places, 
  and 
  much 
  false-bedded. 
  Its 
  thickness 
  is 
  apparently 
  

   not 
  less 
  than 
  100 
  feet. 
  It 
  is 
  well 
  exposed 
  both 
  between 
  tide-marks 
  

   and 
  in 
  the 
  cliffs 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  and 
  west 
  of 
  East 
  Wemyss. 
  

  

  To 
  the 
  west 
  of 
  East 
  Wemyss, 
  below 
  the 
  red 
  rock, 
  the 
  measures 
  

   take 
  more 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  coal-bearing 
  strata; 
  and 
  further 
  on 
  

   still, 
  near 
  to 
  West 
  Wemyss, 
  workable 
  coals 
  come 
  to 
  the 
  surface 
  ; 
  

   but 
  to 
  these 
  measures 
  we 
  need 
  not 
  at 
  present 
  allude, 
  as 
  we 
  look 
  

   upon 
  the 
  thick 
  red 
  sandstone 
  last 
  described 
  as 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  

   group 
  of 
  beds. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  red 
  sandstone 
  at 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Leven 
  to 
  the 
  red 
  

   sandstone 
  at 
  East 
  Wemyss 
  there 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  thickness 
  of 
  over 
  

   900 
  feet 
  of 
  strata, 
  with 
  possibly 
  other 
  still 
  higher 
  beds 
  continued 
  

   beneath 
  the 
  sea. 
  

  

  * 
  After 
  a 
  gale, 
  when 
  these 
  fireclays 
  have 
  been 
  swept 
  bare 
  of 
  sand, 
  the 
  colour- 
  

   ing 
  is 
  something 
  gorgeous. 
  

  

  s2 
  

  

  