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  BINNEY 
  AND 
  KIEKBY 
  ON 
  THE 
  UPPEE 
  BEDS 
  

  

  These 
  upper 
  beds 
  are 
  again 
  seen 
  on 
  the 
  coast 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  and 
  west 
  

   of 
  Largo 
  Harbour 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  section 
  is 
  not 
  so 
  consecutive 
  or 
  so 
  ex- 
  

   tensive 
  as 
  the 
  one 
  we 
  have 
  noticed. 
  Occasional 
  outcrops 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  

   the 
  beds 
  are 
  also 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  by 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  dens 
  that 
  run 
  inland 
  

   from 
  the 
  coast. 
  In 
  former 
  times 
  various 
  sinkings 
  were 
  made 
  in 
  

   them 
  to 
  the 
  ochre-beds, 
  which 
  mineral 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  sole 
  com- 
  

   mercial 
  product 
  of 
  the 
  series 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  working 
  of 
  it 
  is 
  now 
  

   abandoned. 
  

  

  Quite 
  recently 
  the 
  Fife 
  Coal 
  Company 
  have 
  sunk 
  through 
  over 
  

   500 
  feet 
  of 
  these 
  red 
  measures 
  near 
  to 
  Leven, 
  and 
  very 
  successfully 
  

   won 
  the 
  Chemise 
  Coal 
  at 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  870 
  feet 
  from 
  the 
  surface. 
  The 
  

   section 
  penetrated 
  at 
  these 
  pits 
  commences 
  in 
  the 
  red 
  shales 
  

   (Xo. 
  47, 
  p. 
  254) 
  lying 
  some 
  little 
  distance 
  below 
  the 
  thin 
  coals 
  to 
  

   the 
  west 
  of 
  Methil, 
  about 
  430 
  feet 
  beneath 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  sandstone 
  

   at 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Leven, 
  thus 
  indicating 
  an 
  aggregate 
  thickness 
  

   for 
  these 
  beds 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  we 
  have 
  arrived 
  at 
  for 
  the 
  coast 
  

   section 
  *. 
  

  

  In 
  Lanarkshire 
  and 
  Ayrshire 
  the 
  Geological 
  Survey 
  have 
  observed 
  

   a 
  slight 
  unconformability 
  between 
  these 
  upper 
  beds 
  and 
  the 
  ordinary 
  

   underlying 
  Coal-measures. 
  We 
  have 
  not 
  noticed 
  any 
  such 
  break 
  in 
  

   the 
  succession 
  of 
  the 
  Fifeshire 
  strata. 
  

  

  Note 
  on 
  the 
  Calcareous 
  Beds 
  and 
  thin 
  Goals 
  west 
  of 
  Methil. 
  — 
  The 
  

   limestones 
  which 
  characterize 
  this 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  section 
  are 
  all 
  

   thin 
  and 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  impure. 
  Some 
  perhaps 
  would 
  be 
  more 
  pro- 
  

   perly 
  termed 
  marlstones, 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  predominance 
  of 
  argil- 
  

   laceous 
  matter 
  in 
  their 
  composition. 
  They 
  are 
  usually 
  red 
  or 
  

   purple 
  in 
  colour, 
  hard, 
  compact, 
  and 
  with 
  an 
  even 
  fracture. 
  • 
  Some- 
  

   times 
  they 
  are 
  grey 
  and 
  of 
  an 
  earthy 
  texture; 
  and 
  where 
  very 
  

   impure 
  they 
  show 
  cone-in-cone 
  structure. 
  All 
  of 
  them 
  are 
  very 
  

   inconstant 
  in 
  thickness 
  ; 
  and 
  they 
  thin 
  out 
  or 
  run 
  together 
  within 
  

   very 
  short 
  distances. 
  The 
  latter 
  is 
  the 
  case 
  with 
  beds 
  39 
  and 
  41 
  

   (see 
  detailed 
  section, 
  p. 
  254), 
  which 
  at 
  high-water 
  mark 
  form 
  a 
  

   stratum 
  fully 
  a 
  foot 
  thick. 
  This 
  limestone 
  has 
  the 
  surface 
  very 
  

   curiously 
  marked 
  with 
  large 
  concentric 
  ripples 
  or 
  corrugations. 
  

   Others 
  have 
  a 
  blistered 
  or 
  flatly 
  mamillated 
  sort 
  of 
  surface. 
  Four 
  

   of 
  the 
  beds 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  analysed 
  , 
  give 
  30, 
  38, 
  41, 
  and 
  60 
  per 
  

   cent, 
  of 
  carbonate 
  of 
  lime. 
  The 
  strata 
  associated 
  with 
  the 
  limestones 
  

   are 
  commonly 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  calcareous. 
  The 
  sandstones 
  often 
  effer- 
  

   vesce 
  freely 
  on 
  the 
  application 
  of 
  acid 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  argillaceous 
  beds 
  in 
  

   many 
  cases 
  are 
  marls 
  rather 
  than 
  shales 
  or 
  fireclays. 
  

  

  With 
  these 
  calcareous 
  beds 
  occur 
  the 
  two 
  carbonaceous 
  bands 
  

   that 
  we 
  have 
  termed 
  coals. 
  They 
  are 
  very 
  thin 
  and 
  very 
  coarse. 
  

   Towards 
  high-water 
  mark, 
  where 
  they 
  are 
  about 
  six 
  feet 
  apart, 
  

   they 
  do 
  not 
  exceed 
  three 
  inches 
  in 
  thickness. 
  Both 
  of 
  them 
  rest 
  on 
  

   fireclays 
  full 
  of 
  rootlets. 
  The 
  lower 
  band 
  is 
  overlain 
  by 
  a 
  lime- 
  

   stone 
  ; 
  the 
  upper 
  band 
  has 
  a 
  shale 
  roof, 
  highly 
  charged 
  with 
  plant- 
  

   remains 
  near 
  the 
  coal. 
  Towards 
  low-water 
  mark 
  the 
  former 
  be- 
  

   comes 
  more 
  like 
  a 
  true 
  coal, 
  and 
  thickens 
  to 
  over 
  six 
  inches 
  ; 
  and 
  

  

  * 
  We 
  are 
  indebted 
  for 
  this 
  information 
  to 
  the 
  courtesy 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Charles 
  

   Carlo 
  w, 
  the 
  general 
  manager 
  of 
  the 
  colliery. 
  

  

  