352 Mr. Hutton's Notes on the New Red Sandstone of 



thick ; this bed is here well known and calculated upon by the 

 sinkers, as unconformable to the coal measures, it having 

 been proved by borings in search of coal, in many places 

 in the neighbourhood. 



In the Downs Pit, at Eppleton, the sinking was through a 

 dry yellow sand, about six fathoms, and the red sandstone 

 three fathoms. 



The quarry in Rough Dean, near Houghton-le-Spring, 

 displays the slaty limestone much mixed with seams of a yel- 

 low clay, resting upon the sand, sometimes in a very uneven 

 line, the limestone appearing to bend round and conform 

 itself to the inequalities of the sand, which is of a light colour, 

 having many hard veins of a calcareous nature in it, and also 

 seams of clay. It appears about twenty feet thick; there is 

 at its lower part a bed of white-coloured unctuous clay, pre- 

 cisely similar to that observed between Moorsley and Pitting- 

 ton, and in the quarry at Thickley. The general character 

 and appearance of the red sandstone, which is worked here as 

 a building material, agree exactly with that of the Thickley, 

 Brusselton, and Park House quarries. 



The old quarry at the foot of Houghton Hill, which is 

 worked down to the sand, is, at its lower part, slaty, having 

 thin layers of a brown clay alternating with the limestone. 

 In a bed about five feet from the bottom of the quarry, a few 

 impressions of fish have been lately found, very well pre- 

 served, having their scales remaining perfect; the yellow sand 

 is here at least sixty feet thick. 



The new pit, sunk by Lord Durham, at the foot of the hill, 

 was begun upon the sand, and beneath it was a thin bed of 

 sandstone, of a brick-red colour, of a rough grain, and having 

 white earthy felspar disseminated through it. 



At Newbottle, in consequence of a fault, the limestone is 

 thrown down, and made to abut against the red sandstone at 

 the south end of the village; on the hill side, proceeding 

 northward, a quarry is just opened in the sandsto ne. 



From this point towards Pensher Hill, although the rock 

 is nowhere visible, the situation of the sandstone is suffici- 

 ently marked, by the belt of red ground, formed at its out- 

 crop, which may be thus easily traced by the eye beneath the 

 limestone *. 



* The colour of the soil over the outcrop of the lower new red sand' 

 stone, which is more conspicuous in some parts than others, is a character 

 to be observed generally ; thus pointing out its situation, although the 

 rock itself be not visible, and no doubt in this character have originated 

 the names of several places upon the line ; as Red-worth, Red-house, Red- 

 brae-bank, &c. 



Pensher 



