Geology and Orography 17 



by far the greatest bulk of the high land and all the hills 

 over 1500 feet (c. 500 metres) in height, occupy the 

 northern and western part of the country, while the 

 midland, southern and eastern portions are composed of 

 the newer and softer (Mesozoic or Secondary, Tertiary, 

 post-Tertiary and Recent) deposits, which form flat or 

 undulating plains broken only by comparatively low hills 

 (Pigs. 1 and 2). 



If we draw a straight line from Hartlepool on the 

 Durham coast of the North Sea southwards to Leicester, 

 and another from Leicester south-westwards to the 

 Dorsetshire coast of the English Channel we find that the 

 country lying to the west of these lines is very largely 

 composed of Palaeozoic rocks, that about three-quarters 

 of it has an elevation of over 500 feet (c. 150 metres), 

 while practically the whole of the Scottish " Highlands," 

 forming more than one-sixth of the total area, considerable 

 regions of the " Southern Uplands ■" of Scotland, of 

 northern England, of North Wales, and small areas in 

 south-western England reach a height of over 1500 feet 

 (c. 460 metres). 



Elevations of more than 2500 feet (c. 760 metres) are 

 rare except in the Scottish Highlands, where there is one 

 considerable massif (the Cairngorm group in Perthshire) 

 which has an extensive area exceeding that altitude, 

 while there are several summits reaching above the same 

 level in the Southern Uplands, in northern England and 

 in North Wales. 



The highest altitudes attained are Ben Nevis (4406 ft. 

 = 1343 m.) in the Western Highlands, Ben Macdhui 

 (4296 ft. = 1309 m.) and Braeriach (4248 ft. = 1294 m.) in 

 the Cairngorm group, Ben Lawers (3984 ft. = 1214 m.) in 

 the Central Highlands, and many other Highland peaks 

 over 3000 feet ; Snowdon (3560 ft. = 1084 m.) and Scafell 

 Pike (3210 ft. = 978 m.) in North Wales and the Lake 

 District respectively (both districts possessing several 



T. 2 



