﻿ROCKS 
  OE 
  THE 
  LEICESTERSHIRE 
  COAL-FIELD. 
  7 
  

  

  able 
  denudation 
  prior 
  to 
  the 
  deposition 
  of 
  the 
  Bunter, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  

   phenomena 
  cannot 
  be 
  explained 
  by 
  contemporaneous 
  erosion. 
  This 
  

   section 
  , 
  in 
  fact, 
  exhibits 
  in 
  a 
  very 
  beautiful 
  manner 
  a 
  double 
  uncon- 
  

   formity, 
  and 
  clearly 
  proves 
  that 
  we 
  may 
  without 
  doubt 
  refer 
  the 
  

   series 
  of 
  strata 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  Breccias 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  Permian 
  ; 
  for 
  

   they 
  are 
  not 
  stratigraphically 
  connected 
  either 
  with 
  the 
  Carboniferous 
  

   or 
  with 
  the 
  Trias. 
  

  

  Swadlincote 
  (fig. 
  3 
  and 
  PI. 
  I.). 
  — 
  The 
  stratigraphical 
  break 
  between 
  

   the 
  Permians 
  of 
  the 
  Leicestershire 
  Coal-field 
  and 
  the 
  Trias 
  is 
  still 
  

   more 
  strikingly 
  evidenced 
  by 
  an 
  exposure 
  in 
  an 
  open-working 
  at 
  

   Swadlincote, 
  about 
  1 
  mile 
  north-west 
  of 
  the 
  section 
  last 
  described. 
  

   The 
  pit 
  has 
  been 
  excavated 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  procuring 
  fire-clay, 
  

   and 
  is 
  750 
  yards 
  south-east 
  of 
  Swadlincote 
  Station. 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  

   exposure 
  referred 
  to 
  by 
  Mr. 
  W. 
  S. 
  Gresley, 
  F.G.S., 
  in 
  his 
  paper 
  " 
  On 
  

   the 
  Occurrence 
  of 
  Possiliferous 
  Haematite 
  Nodules 
  in 
  the 
  Permian 
  

   Breccia 
  of 
  Leicestershire 
  " 
  (' 
  Midland 
  Naturalist,' 
  vol. 
  ix. 
  1886). 
  

  

  The 
  ridge 
  of 
  ground 
  on 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  pit 
  is 
  situated 
  is 
  

   correctly 
  shown 
  on 
  the 
  one-inch 
  Survey 
  maps 
  as 
  an 
  outlier 
  of 
  Bunter 
  

   Conglomerate. 
  The 
  magnificent 
  section 
  is 
  from 
  70 
  to 
  80 
  ft. 
  

   in 
  height, 
  and 
  shows 
  about 
  8 
  ft. 
  of 
  horizontally 
  bedded 
  Bunter 
  

   Conglomerates 
  of 
  the 
  usual 
  type 
  of 
  the 
  district, 
  resting 
  upon 
  about 
  

   26 
  ft. 
  of 
  Permian 
  beds 
  made 
  up 
  of 
  sandstones, 
  breccias, 
  and 
  marls. 
  

   The 
  Permians, 
  together 
  with 
  the 
  underlying 
  Coal-measure 
  clays 
  and 
  

   their 
  associated 
  coal-seams, 
  dip 
  into 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  hill 
  at 
  an 
  angle 
  of 
  

   23°, 
  in 
  a 
  direction 
  N. 
  50° 
  E., 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  unconformity 
  between 
  the 
  

   Trias 
  and 
  the 
  underlying 
  beds 
  is 
  most 
  striking. 
  

  

  That 
  there 
  is 
  any 
  great 
  break 
  between 
  the 
  Coal-measures 
  and 
  

   the 
  Permian 
  in 
  this 
  section 
  is 
  not 
  very 
  apparent 
  at 
  first 
  sight, 
  as 
  

   both 
  seem 
  to 
  dip 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  angle 
  of 
  23° 
  ; 
  but 
  since 
  the 
  section 
  is 
  

   almost 
  along 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  strike 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  that 
  there 
  may 
  be 
  a 
  little 
  

   discordance 
  of 
  dip 
  which 
  is 
  not 
  evident 
  in 
  the 
  present 
  state 
  of 
  the 
  

   excavation. 
  The 
  unconformity 
  in 
  this 
  case 
  is, 
  however, 
  indicated 
  

   clearly 
  by 
  the 
  abrupt 
  change 
  in 
  the 
  lithological 
  characters 
  of 
  the 
  

   beds 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  occurrence 
  at 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  junction 
  of 
  an 
  eroded 
  

   and 
  impersistent 
  bed 
  of 
  hard, 
  fine-grained, 
  Coal-measure 
  sandstone 
  

   ("cank"). 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  are 
  details 
  of 
  the 
  section 
  as 
  taken 
  in 
  July, 
  1886 
  ; 
  

   but 
  since 
  that 
  time 
  the 
  face 
  of 
  the 
  excavation 
  has 
  been 
  carried 
  some 
  

   yards 
  further 
  into 
  the 
  hill, 
  thus 
  exposing 
  a 
  considerable 
  thickness 
  of 
  

   Lower 
  Keuper 
  Sandstones 
  and 
  Marls 
  above 
  the 
  Bunter 
  Conglomerate, 
  

   besides 
  showing 
  a 
  considerably 
  greater 
  thickness 
  of 
  Permian 
  and 
  

   rendering 
  still 
  more 
  evident 
  the 
  distinct 
  break 
  between 
  this 
  series 
  

   .of 
  rocks 
  and 
  the 
  Coal-measures. 
  

  

  