﻿SUBDIVISIONS 
  OF 
  THE 
  SPEETON 
  CLAY. 
  579 
  

  

  become 
  much 
  disturbed 
  and 
  roll 
  over 
  in 
  numerous 
  short 
  sharp 
  folds. 
  

   The 
  general 
  strike 
  of 
  the 
  clays 
  is 
  about 
  east 
  and 
  west, 
  changing 
  

   occasionally 
  to 
  south 
  of 
  east 
  and 
  north 
  of 
  west 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  general 
  dip 
  

   is 
  southward 
  at 
  varying 
  angles. 
  The 
  axes 
  of 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  sharper 
  

   folds 
  run 
  parallel 
  to 
  a 
  broader 
  anticline 
  that 
  crosses 
  the 
  beach 
  and 
  

   brings 
  up 
  the 
  bituminous 
  shales 
  (Upper 
  Kimeridge) 
  into 
  the 
  cliff 
  in 
  

   New 
  Closes 
  Cliff. 
  

  

  The 
  southward 
  dip 
  of 
  the 
  clays 
  points 
  towards 
  the 
  chalk 
  escarp- 
  

   ment 
  ; 
  and 
  their 
  strike, 
  even 
  in 
  the 
  contortions, 
  is 
  generally 
  more 
  

   or 
  less 
  parallel 
  to 
  this 
  escarpment. 
  I 
  think 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  that 
  the 
  

   pressure 
  of 
  the 
  chalk 
  on 
  these 
  yielding 
  clays 
  may 
  have 
  affected 
  their 
  

   original 
  arrangement, 
  by 
  causing 
  an 
  upward 
  and 
  outward 
  creep 
  from 
  

   under 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  escarpment 
  as 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  cut 
  back. 
  

  

  Some 
  of 
  the 
  minor 
  contortions 
  visible 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  slopes 
  

   are 
  probably 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  recent 
  slipping 
  of 
  the 
  cliff, 
  as, 
  for 
  instance, 
  

   those 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  great 
  slip 
  of 
  Black 
  Cliff 
  ; 
  and 
  these 
  slips 
  may 
  even 
  

   have 
  slightly 
  displaced 
  the 
  beds 
  on 
  the 
  shore. 
  But 
  the 
  remarkable 
  

   plications 
  in 
  Middle 
  Cliff, 
  which 
  course 
  nearly 
  at 
  right 
  angles 
  to 
  the 
  

   cliff-line, 
  must 
  heat 
  least 
  of 
  older 
  date 
  than 
  the 
  Glacial 
  Period, 
  since 
  

   there 
  is 
  no 
  evidence 
  of 
  the 
  disturbance 
  in 
  the 
  glacial 
  clays 
  which 
  

   cap 
  the 
  cliff, 
  nor 
  in 
  the 
  stratified 
  shell-bed 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  drifts. 
  

  

  That 
  the 
  contorted 
  beds 
  just 
  referred 
  to 
  form 
  part 
  of 
  an 
  anticlinal 
  

   ridge, 
  is 
  clearly 
  proved 
  by 
  the 
  reappearance 
  on 
  the 
  beach 
  off 
  New 
  

   Closes 
  Cliff 
  (and 
  probably 
  also 
  in 
  the 
  cliff 
  itself), 
  on 
  the 
  further 
  

   side 
  of 
  the 
  exposures 
  of 
  Upper 
  Kimeridge 
  shales, 
  of 
  the 
  " 
  Coprolite- 
  

   bed 
  " 
  and 
  the 
  overlying 
  clays 
  of 
  the 
  zone 
  of 
  Belemnites 
  lateralis 
  * 
  

   (see 
  fig. 
  1). 
  

  

  These 
  plications 
  of 
  the 
  strata 
  on 
  the 
  shore 
  extend 
  far 
  northward, 
  

   as 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  the 
  solid 
  beds 
  in 
  Filey 
  Bay, 
  and 
  they 
  characterize 
  all 
  

   the 
  exposures 
  of 
  the 
  bituminous 
  shales 
  observed 
  in 
  places 
  for 
  nearly 
  

   two 
  miles 
  from 
  Speeton. 
  

  

  It 
  has 
  been 
  suggested 
  that 
  these 
  contortions 
  affect 
  only 
  the 
  

   Jurassic 
  beds, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  Neocomians 
  may 
  rest 
  on 
  the 
  denuded 
  

   edges 
  of 
  the 
  contorted 
  strata. 
  The 
  cliff-section 
  has 
  been 
  thought 
  to 
  

   support 
  this 
  view 
  ; 
  but 
  I 
  think 
  it 
  is 
  only 
  because 
  in 
  the 
  southern 
  

   part 
  of 
  the 
  area, 
  where 
  the 
  Neocomians 
  are 
  best 
  shown, 
  all 
  the 
  beds 
  

   run 
  without 
  much 
  irregularity, 
  whereas 
  where 
  the 
  Jurassic 
  beds 
  

   reach 
  the 
  cliff 
  in 
  the 
  disturbed 
  anticline 
  they 
  exhibit 
  violent 
  con- 
  

   tortions, 
  while 
  the 
  higher 
  beds, 
  which 
  are 
  really 
  also 
  contorted, 
  

   are 
  cut 
  away 
  or 
  masked 
  by 
  the 
  overlap 
  of 
  the 
  drift. 
  

  

  At 
  any 
  rate 
  the 
  exposures 
  on 
  the 
  shore 
  show 
  that 
  where, 
  as 
  off 
  

   Black 
  Cliff, 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  serious 
  disturbance 
  of 
  the 
  Neocomians, 
  the 
  

   Jurassic 
  shales 
  are 
  equally 
  undisturbed 
  ; 
  and 
  where, 
  on 
  the 
  contrary, 
  

   as 
  off 
  Middle 
  Cliff, 
  the 
  lower 
  division 
  is 
  thrown 
  into 
  folds, 
  the 
  upper 
  

   beds 
  are 
  also 
  plicated. 
  Nor 
  is 
  there 
  any 
  other 
  evidence 
  at 
  Speeton 
  

   for 
  the 
  supposed 
  unconformity 
  between 
  the 
  one 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  

   section 
  and 
  the 
  other, 
  unless 
  the 
  mere 
  fact 
  of 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  * 
  This 
  is 
  confirmatory 
  of 
  the 
  statement 
  of 
  Leckenby 
  (as 
  recorded 
  by 
  Judd, 
  

   op. 
  tit. 
  p. 
  237), 
  that 
  the 
  " 
  Coprolite-bed" 
  might 
  sometimes 
  be 
  seen 
  on 
  the 
  shore 
  

   nearly 
  as 
  far 
  north 
  as 
  Hunmanby 
  Gap. 
  

  

  