Vol. 50.] THE PERMIAN BRECCIAS OF THE MIDLANDS. 463 



30. A Comparison of the Permian Breccias of the Midlands with 

 the Upper Carboniferous Glacial Deposits of India and 

 Australia. By B. D. Oldham, Esq., F.G.S., Superintendent, 

 Geological Survey of India. (Bead June 6th, 1894.) 



Contents. 



Page 



I. Introduction 4(i3 



II. The Permian Breccias of England 463 



III. The Indian and Australian Upper Carboniferous Boulder-beds 408 



IV. Conclusion 470 



I. Introduction. 



In 1855 the late Sir Andrew Bamsay read before this Society a 

 paper l on the Permian breccias of Enville and of the Clent, Abberley, 

 and Malvern Hills, in which he gave his reasons for believing that 

 they were deposits of glacial origin. This was followed in 1875 by 

 a paper of the late Mr. H. P. Blanford, 2 in which the suggestion 

 was made 3 that the Talchir boulder-beds of India, whose glacial 

 origin had been recognized in 1856, 4 might have been formed during 

 that glacial period the traces of which had been preserved in the 

 Permian breccias of England. 



The glacial origin of these breccias has frequently been disputed, 

 and the doubts cast on them have been to a certain extent reflected 

 on the Indian deposits to which a similar origin has been ascribed. 

 No actual comparison of the two by any observer acquainted with 

 both had, however, been made, and I determined to take an oppor- 

 tunity of visiting some of the exposures with a view of comparing 

 the English and Indian rocks. The opportunity came last Easter, 

 and I have to express my obligations to Mr. Wickham King, F.G.S., 

 who has made a special study of the deposits, and was good enough 

 to guide me to the principal localities and the best exposures. 



II. The Permian Breccias of England. 



The grounds on which the late Sir Andrew Bamsay based his 

 belief in the glacial origin of the beds were, stated briefly, (1) the 

 distance from which the included fragments came, their source being 

 considered to lie in Shropshire and Montgomeryshire 5 ; (2) the 

 large size of some of the included blocks ; (3) the presence of 

 smoothed and striated surfaces, like those produced by glaciers, on 

 some of the rock-fragments. 



As regards the source of the included fragments, later researches 

 seem to have invalidated the conclusion that they came from a 



1 Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc. vol. xi. pp. 185-205. 



2 Op. cit. vol. xxxi. pp. 519-540. 



3 Ibid. p. 528. 



4 Mem. Geol. Surv. Ind. vol. i. pt. i. p. 49. 



5 Op. jam cit. pp. 191-193. 



2l2 



