EROSION or THE GLACIAL DELFT. 101 



ft. in. 



Eecent Brown and Blue Clay 5 



r Upper Peat- and Forest-bed 5 



Post-aiacial J| Blue Clay 10 



[ Lower Peat- and Forest-bed 1 3 



Glacial White sand, on Boulder Clay 10 



31 3 



On referring to fig. 4, it will be seen that in the short distance 

 between X"^ and Y the Peat- and Porest-bed bifurcates into Upper 

 and Lower Peat- and Porest-beds, with a wedge-shaped deposit 

 of Blue Clay 10 feet in thickness at Y and rapidly thinning out 

 towards X'^. Along the whole line of section, at the points X^ to X"^, 

 the Upper and Lower Peat- and Forest-beds become united, and at 

 these places, it should be noticed, they rest close upon the rock. 



Whatever, therefore, was the cause of the submergence of the 

 Peat- and Forest-beds between X' and X', X' and X% X' aud X\ 

 X"^ and Y, it did not disturb the continuous growth of the united 

 Peat- and Forest-beds at the points X^ to X'^. The conclusion to 

 my mind is inevitable that, whatever caused the submergence of 

 the Peat- and Forest-beds in the hollows between the bosses of 

 Punter Sandstone could not have altered the level of the solid 

 basement of rock on which the Peat- and Porest-beds repose. That 

 conclusion would require the abandonment of the generally- 

 accepted theory that post-Glacial submerged Peat- and Forest-beds 

 are evidences of changes of level due to a downward movement of 

 the solid basement of rock upon which they rest. If no such 

 movement has taken place, then the operative cause must be one 

 that could act similarly, yet independently, within the limited 

 area of each rock-basin between EUesmere Port and Ince Ferry. 



It must be borne in mind that the Ship Canal along this line of 

 section runs parallel with the Mersey and intercepts the drainage 

 of the marshes into it. During the construction of this section of 

 the Ship Canal serious landslips have occurred. They have been 

 confined, so far as my observation extends, principally to the 

 land side of the cutting, or that side which receives the drainage 

 percolating from the higher ground towards the Eiver Mersey. 

 Powerful pumping-engines were stationed at short intervals and 

 kept working day and night in order to keep the cutting clear of 

 water. Have we not here a sufficient explanation of the submerged 

 Peat- and Forest-beds ? 



The mingled Peat- and Forest-beds increase in thickness towards 

 the centre of the rock-basins formed by the Bunter Sandstone 

 bosses of Ellesmore Port, Stanlow Abbey, Ince, and Ince Ferry. 

 Through these four channels the subterranean drainage of the 

 land in the rear of the section escaped into the River Mersey. The 

 underground water must accumulate most in the centre of each 

 rock-basin, and consequently exert its greatest force in the lower 

 portions of each hollow, with the result that the mingled Peat- 

 and Forest-beds would increase in thickness towards the centre 



