60 PEOP. E. HULL ON THE EED EOCKS OF SOUTH DEVON 



5. A CoMPAKisoN of the Red Rocks of the South Devon 



Coast with those of the Midland and Westeen Counties, 



Ey Prof. Edwaed Hull, LL.D., E.R.S., F.G.S. (Read 



November 2^, 1891.) 



Contents. 



Page 



I. Introduction 60 



II. Breccia forming base of Series (Lower Permian) 62 



III. The Triassic Beds (Bmiter Series) 63 



IV. The Budleigh Salterton Conglomerate and Sandstone (Middle 



Bunter) 64 



V. The Upper Eed and Mottled Sandstone (Upper Bunter^ 65 



VI. The TTeuper Series 66 



I. Inteoduction. 



In September last I found it possible to carry out a long-standing 

 engagement with the Rev. Dr. Irving to visit South Devon in his- 

 company, and to form an opinion upon his views regarding the age 

 and succession of the great series of red rocks which are exposed 

 to view in such m.agnificent sections along the coast to the east and 

 west of the estuary of the River Exe. On reading Dr. Irving's 

 paper, published in this Journal in 1888, it appeared to me that 

 he had gone very far towards establishing his proposition that 

 the brecciated beds forming the base of the whole series, and resting 

 discordantly on the Devonian rocks, were really the representatives 

 of the Lower Permian breccias of the Midland and Western counties, 

 but I was little prepared for the — I might almost say — overwhelming 

 evidence that such is the case upon an examination of the coast 

 sections extending from Oddicombe Ray to and beyond Teignmouth 

 and Dawlish. 



Having examined these basement-beds of the series, we continued 

 our survey of the coast and inland sections of the succeeding strata 

 eastwards to Sidmouth — terminating with the Keuper marls under- 

 lying the Cretaceous beds which form the cap of Saleombe Hill, 

 and which break off in a lofty and precipitous cliff seawards ; so 

 that the whole structure of the ridge is laid open from the summit 

 to the water's edge. The result of this reconnaissance has been to 

 enable me to confirm in all the main points Dr. Irving's view, and 

 to correlate the series with the Permian and Triassic succession as 

 developed in the Midland and Western counties. 



It is not my intention to do over again what has been so well 

 done before, and describe the successive strata lying between the 

 Devonian rocks of Torquay on the one hand and the Cretaceous 

 beds of the coast east of Sidmouth on the other, further than is 

 necessary to explain my reasons for supporting Dr. Irving's views 

 with only one important (and somewhat doubtful) exception. 

 Much less do I intend to enter into controversy with any previous 

 writer on the age and relations of these red beds. Having had 

 opportunities, through many years of Survey work, of becoming 

 acquainted with the structure and details of the red rocks of the 



