the County of Durham, below the Magnesian Limestone. 415 



strata caused by the ninety-fathom dyke, at the point of its 

 greatest depression, certain appearances having led us to sup- 

 pose that the lower new red sandstone existed somewhere near 

 Killingworth; and we found it accordingly in one spot, called 

 the Clowsden or Closing Hill Quarry, situate about 950 yards 

 to the south of Killingworth House, and immediately adjoin- 

 ing the Killingworth Railway. It is of inconsiderable extent, 

 and forms a small hill, which slopes gently on every side, 

 except where it has been broken in upon for quarrying the 

 stone. There are two quarries : that on the northern slope 

 of the hill has been extensively worked ; it is now full of 

 water, but is said to be sixty feet deep. The southern quarry 

 was drained by means of a drift from the bottom of the hill ; 

 this was driven northward entirely in sand, until the face of 

 the rock was suddenly and abruptly come upon, which was 

 no doubt the northern cheek of the dyke. I am informed by 

 my friend Mr. Nicholas Wood, that a seam of coal twenty 

 inches thick, with a shale bed above it, appeared in the north 

 quarry ; this coal stratum is higher than any bed we have 

 been hitherto acquainted with in this coal field. The highest 

 known is in Hebburn, Jarrow, and South Shields collieries, 

 from their pits being sunk at the point of the greatest depres- 

 sion of the strata, or at the bottom of the coal basin, as it is 

 termed; it is 114 fathoms above the High Main, whilst this 

 is 1 90 fathoms at least. 



The red sandstone exhibits here its usual characters, but 

 the ruddle is in greater abundance than common, particularly 

 in the lower part of the bed, where it exists in large masses, 

 all the farmers in the neighbourhood supplying themselves 

 from this quarry with Keel (as it is termed, and the spot the 

 Keel Quarry), for marking their sheep. Its dip is 15° south, 

 whilst the dip of the coal measures is twice this amount, or 

 about 30°. It is satisfactory to know, that this has been proved 

 by the working of the High Main Seam below, because it 

 would appear that the dip of the coal seam and shale bed 

 which were found in the quarry did not differ much from that 

 of the red sandstone : nevertheless I am perfectly borne out 

 by the personal observation and practical experience of Mr. 

 Wood, in considering the red sandstone here " in general 

 position clearly unconformable with the coal measures." 



The relative position of this patch of red sandstone will be 

 best understood by a reference to the annexed diagrams. In 

 the sketch No. 1. the line A B represents the course of the 

 High Main Coal Seam, on the north, or low side of the dyke, 

 having the depth marked at which the coal has either been 

 worked, or proved to exist, at seven different points; and 



shows 



