﻿PLIOCENE 
  PERIOD 
  IN 
  ENGLAND. 
  717 
  

  

  formation 
  originated 
  had 
  been 
  recovered 
  — 
  at 
  any 
  rate 
  in 
  the 
  eastern 
  

   and 
  southern 
  parts 
  of 
  England 
  — 
  when 
  a 
  pause 
  took 
  place, 
  and 
  a 
  

   stationary 
  interval 
  occurred 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  buried 
  cliffs 
  of 
  the 
  south 
  

   coast 
  were 
  formed, 
  and 
  the 
  gravel 
  # 
  accumulated. 
  This 
  brought 
  the 
  

   sea-level 
  in 
  the 
  east 
  to 
  about 
  the 
  point 
  at 
  which 
  it 
  stood 
  when 
  the 
  

   subsidence 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  Cyr 
  ena-iormatiou. 
  originated 
  began 
  ; 
  and 
  

   this, 
  judging 
  from 
  the 
  evidences 
  of 
  transit 
  from 
  freshwater 
  to 
  marine 
  

   conditions 
  at 
  Clacton 
  in 
  Essex, 
  and 
  Overton 
  in 
  the 
  Pen-country, 
  

   and 
  the 
  other 
  phenomena 
  examined 
  in 
  connexion 
  with 
  that 
  forma- 
  

   tion, 
  was 
  in 
  the 
  east 
  somewhat 
  below 
  what 
  is 
  now 
  the 
  sea-level 
  there 
  ; 
  

   so 
  that 
  the 
  rivers 
  of 
  Norfolk, 
  Suffolk, 
  Essex, 
  and 
  North 
  Kent 
  had 
  

   further 
  to 
  travel 
  to 
  reach 
  the 
  sea 
  than 
  now, 
  and 
  their 
  waters 
  swollen 
  

   by 
  the 
  melting 
  snow 
  in 
  summer 
  rose 
  to 
  that 
  higher 
  level 
  than 
  now 
  

   which 
  is 
  marked 
  by 
  the 
  upper 
  limit 
  of 
  the 
  gravel 
  g 
  in 
  the 
  Thames 
  

   valley. 
  At 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  the 
  ice-streams 
  from 
  the 
  Pennine 
  which 
  

   passed 
  through 
  the 
  vales 
  of 
  York 
  and 
  Tees 
  reached 
  the 
  sea 
  at 
  the 
  

   same 
  proportionately 
  greater 
  distance, 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  direction 
  as 
  

   now 
  ; 
  that 
  one 
  which 
  passed 
  through 
  the 
  vale 
  of 
  Tees 
  continuing 
  

   eastwards, 
  instead 
  of 
  turning 
  south 
  along 
  the 
  east 
  side 
  of 
  Yorkshire, 
  

   as 
  it 
  did 
  during 
  the 
  major 
  glaciation, 
  to 
  form 
  the 
  Purple 
  Clay 
  ; 
  and 
  

   that 
  one 
  which 
  flowed 
  through 
  the 
  vale 
  of 
  York 
  passing 
  out 
  by 
  the 
  

   Humber. 
  as 
  it 
  had, 
  though 
  in 
  far 
  greater 
  volume, 
  done, 
  when 
  at 
  the 
  

   commencement 
  of 
  the 
  major 
  glaciation 
  it, 
  from 
  the 
  inclination 
  having 
  

   been 
  eastward, 
  formed 
  the 
  Basement 
  Clay 
  of 
  Holder 
  ness, 
  instead 
  of 
  

   flowing 
  southwards 
  along 
  the 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  Lincolnshire 
  Wold, 
  so 
  as 
  

   to 
  overspread 
  the 
  eastern 
  and 
  east 
  midland 
  counties 
  of 
  England, 
  

   as 
  it 
  did 
  in 
  forming 
  the 
  chalky 
  clay, 
  when, 
  from 
  the 
  southerly 
  and 
  

   westerly 
  inclination, 
  the 
  sea 
  covered 
  the 
  southern, 
  central, 
  and 
  

   western 
  counties. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  north-west, 
  when 
  this 
  minor 
  glaciation 
  began, 
  the 
  plain 
  of 
  

   Cheshire 
  and 
  West 
  Lancashire 
  was 
  still 
  submerged, 
  though 
  to 
  what 
  

   height 
  seems 
  uncertain 
  ; 
  and 
  there 
  the 
  moraine 
  from 
  that 
  side 
  of 
  

   the 
  Pennine 
  entered 
  it 
  by 
  submarine 
  extrusion, 
  and 
  the 
  ice-floes 
  

   from 
  the 
  shore 
  carrying 
  away 
  molluscan 
  remains, 
  some 
  of 
  which 
  con- 
  

   tain 
  mud 
  full 
  of 
  Entomostraca 
  and 
  Eoraminifera, 
  dropped 
  them 
  as 
  

   it 
  floated 
  over 
  these 
  places 
  of 
  submarine 
  extrusion, 
  so 
  that 
  they 
  

   became 
  incorporated 
  in 
  the 
  moraine. 
  The 
  small 
  thickness 
  of 
  the 
  

   moraine 
  of 
  the 
  minor 
  glaciation, 
  and 
  the 
  paucity 
  and 
  small 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  

   boulders 
  in 
  it, 
  when 
  coupled 
  with 
  the 
  indication 
  which 
  the 
  distribu- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  Hessle 
  portion 
  of 
  it 
  affords 
  that 
  the 
  ice-stream 
  from 
  

   which 
  that 
  portion 
  originated 
  was 
  conflned 
  to 
  the 
  central 
  parts 
  of 
  

   the 
  vale 
  of 
  York, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  Shap 
  erratics 
  from 
  

   that 
  portion 
  which 
  occupies 
  the 
  vale 
  of 
  Tees, 
  conspire 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  

   the 
  volume 
  of 
  the 
  land-ice 
  during 
  the 
  minor 
  glaciation 
  was 
  small 
  in 
  

   comparison 
  with 
  that 
  during 
  the 
  major. 
  

  

  It 
  now 
  remains 
  to 
  examine 
  what 
  evidences 
  this 
  minor 
  glaciation 
  

   has 
  left 
  over 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  England 
  which 
  was 
  beyond 
  the 
  limit 
  to 
  

   which 
  the 
  moraine 
  of 
  the 
  land-ice 
  extended; 
  all 
  of 
  which, 
  save 
  to 
  

   such 
  extent 
  as 
  the 
  north-west 
  continued 
  submerged, 
  had 
  now 
  become 
  

   land. 
  

  

  