﻿18 
  MR. 
  H. 
  T. 
  BROWN 
  ON 
  THE 
  PERMIAN 
  

  

  Moira 
  and 
  Boothorjpe 
  Grit. 
  — 
  "We 
  have 
  now 
  to 
  consider 
  the 
  strati- 
  

   graphical 
  position 
  of 
  two 
  small 
  patches 
  of 
  sandstone 
  which 
  occur 
  near 
  

   the 
  centre 
  of 
  the 
  western 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  Coal-field. 
  These 
  are 
  the 
  

   so-called 
  Moira 
  and 
  Boothorpe 
  Grits, 
  the 
  true 
  age 
  of 
  which 
  has 
  

   never 
  been 
  satisfactorily 
  determined. 
  The 
  late 
  Rev. 
  W. 
  H. 
  Coleman, 
  

   an 
  exceedingly 
  accurate 
  observer 
  and 
  sound 
  geologist, 
  states, 
  in 
  his 
  

   ' 
  Outline 
  of 
  the 
  Geology 
  of 
  Leicestershire,' 
  p. 
  25, 
  that 
  whilst 
  the 
  

   rocks 
  may 
  possibly 
  be 
  referred 
  to 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  Permian, 
  he 
  is 
  

   more 
  inclined 
  to 
  look 
  upon 
  them 
  as 
  Upper 
  Coal-measures, 
  unconform- 
  

   able 
  to 
  the 
  lower 
  beds 
  ; 
  this 
  view 
  was 
  adopted 
  in 
  the 
  Survey 
  

   Memoir, 
  the 
  balance 
  of 
  evidence 
  being 
  considered 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  its 
  favour. 
  

   Notwithstanding 
  this 
  statement, 
  however, 
  the 
  two 
  outcrops 
  of 
  grit 
  

   are 
  coloured 
  in 
  the 
  one-inch 
  map 
  as 
  Permian, 
  but 
  are 
  omitted 
  from 
  

   the 
  smaller 
  map 
  attached 
  to 
  the 
  Memoir. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  exposure 
  of 
  these 
  sandstones 
  about 
  860 
  yards 
  east 
  

   of 
  Moira 
  Station. 
  They 
  here 
  consist 
  of 
  fissile 
  grits, 
  interstratified 
  

   with 
  some 
  sandy 
  beds 
  of 
  impure 
  haematite 
  containing 
  impressions 
  of 
  

   Sternbergia. 
  About 
  250 
  yards 
  further 
  north, 
  in 
  an 
  old 
  quarry 
  between 
  

   the 
  last-mentioned 
  spot 
  and 
  Norris 
  Hill 
  Lodge, 
  the 
  grits 
  are 
  again 
  

   exposed, 
  associated 
  with 
  sandy 
  clays. 
  They 
  are 
  in 
  part 
  very 
  coarse 
  

   and 
  felspathic, 
  and 
  much 
  resemble 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  Millstone 
  Grits 
  of 
  the 
  

   district. 
  North 
  of 
  this 
  point 
  I 
  have 
  been 
  unable 
  to 
  find, 
  by 
  careful 
  

   boring, 
  any 
  indications 
  of 
  these 
  grits 
  for 
  some 
  considerable 
  distance, 
  

   although 
  the 
  Survey 
  map 
  represents 
  them 
  as 
  extending 
  more 
  than 
  

   half 
  a 
  mile 
  further 
  to 
  the 
  north. 
  At 
  the 
  little 
  hamlet 
  of 
  Boothorpe, 
  

   however, 
  there 
  is, 
  in 
  an 
  old 
  disused 
  lane, 
  an 
  exposure 
  of 
  massive 
  

   grits, 
  in 
  parts 
  stained 
  a 
  reddish-purple 
  colour, 
  and 
  evidently 
  belonging 
  

   approximately 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  horizon 
  as 
  those 
  of 
  Moira 
  further 
  to 
  the 
  

   south. 
  These 
  Boothorpe 
  Grits 
  occur 
  in 
  a 
  very 
  favourable 
  spot 
  for 
  a 
  

   determination 
  of 
  their 
  true 
  stratigraphical 
  position, 
  since 
  they 
  crop 
  

   out 
  immediately 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  of 
  a 
  Triassic 
  outlier 
  whose 
  exact 
  nature 
  

   and 
  boundaries 
  I 
  have 
  accurately 
  ascertained. 
  

  

  This 
  outlier 
  is 
  represented 
  in 
  the 
  Survey 
  map 
  as 
  a 
  narrow 
  strip 
  

   of 
  Bunter 
  Conglomerate, 
  extending 
  from 
  a 
  little 
  south 
  of 
  Woodville 
  

   for 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  1^ 
  mile 
  in 
  a 
  south-south-east 
  direction, 
  and 
  bounded 
  

   both 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  and 
  west 
  by 
  faults. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  accompanying 
  map 
  (fig. 
  5) 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that, 
  whilst 
  its 
  

   southerly 
  extension 
  is 
  not 
  so 
  great 
  as 
  has 
  been 
  imagined, 
  the 
  Lower 
  

   Keuper 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  Bunter 
  Conglomerate 
  are 
  represented 
  in 
  this 
  nar- 
  

   row 
  outlier. 
  The 
  Triassic 
  beds 
  dip 
  E.N.E. 
  about 
  6°, 
  and 
  are 
  on 
  the 
  

   east 
  brought 
  down 
  against 
  Coal-measures 
  by 
  secondary 
  movements 
  in 
  

   the 
  Boothorpe 
  fault, 
  whilst 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  they 
  rest 
  on 
  Coal-measures, 
  

   with 
  the 
  intercalation, 
  for 
  a 
  short 
  distance, 
  of 
  a 
  narrow 
  strip 
  of 
  

  

  sandstones 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  Lower 
  Coal-measures. 
  Eeason3 
  have 
  been 
  given 
  

   for 
  doubting 
  the 
  existence 
  further 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  extensive 
  fault 
  which, 
  according 
  

   to 
  the 
  one-inch 
  Survey 
  map, 
  forms 
  the 
  boundary 
  of 
  these 
  Coal-measures 
  and 
  

   the 
  Millstone 
  Grit 
  on 
  the 
  east. 
  I 
  cannot 
  find 
  any 
  distinct 
  evidence 
  of 
  the 
  

   existence 
  of 
  a 
  fault 
  between 
  these 
  two 
  subdivisions 
  of 
  the 
  Carboniferous 
  in 
  the 
  

   Ingleby 
  district. 
  

  

  