402 . Scientific Intelligence. 



II. Geology and Minekalogy. 



1. The Terminal Moraines of the Great Glaciers of England / 

 by Professor H. Carvill Lewis. — The investigation here recorded 

 is based upon the important principle that every glacier at the time 

 of its greatest extension is bounded and limited by a terminal 

 moraine. Supposed exceptions to this law in Switzerland and 

 elsewhere had been studied by the author and found to be con- 

 trary to observed facts. Thus the ancient Rhone glacier, stated 

 by Swiss geologists to be without a limiting moraine at the time 

 of its greatest extension, was found to have one as distinct as 

 those of the Aar glacier, the Reuss glacier, or the Rhine glacier ; 

 and the prevalent idea of a " first glacial epoch " in which the 

 glaciers had no terminal moraines was also unsupported by the 

 author's observations. 



The great ice-sheet which once covered northern England was 

 found to be composed of a number of glaciers, each of which was 

 bounded by its own lateral and terminal moraines. These glaciers 

 were studied in detail, beginning with the east of England; and 

 the North Sea glacier, the Wensleydale glacier, the Stainmoor 

 glacier, the Aire glacier, the Irish Sea glacier, and the separate 

 Welsh glaciers were each found to be distinguished by charac- 

 teristic bowlders and to be defined by well-marked moraines. 

 The terminal moraine of the North Sea glacier, filled with Nor- 

 wegian bowlders, may be seen in Holderness extending from the 

 mouth of the Hnmber to Flamborough Head, and consists of a 

 series of conical hills enclosing meres. The moraine of the Stain- 

 moor glacier, characterized by blocks of Shap granite, may be 

 followed northward along the coast past Scarborough and Whitby ;. 

 then west along the Cleveland Hills; then south again through 

 Oulston to the city of York; then west to near Allerton, where 

 the Stainmoor glacier is joined by the Wensleydale glacier — a 

 fine medial moraine marking the line of junction. The Wensley- 

 dale glacier is characterized by bowlders of Carboniferous lime- 

 stone and sandstone, and its lateral moraine is followed north- 

 ward through Wornald Green, Markington, Fountains Abbey, 

 and along the Permian outcrop to Masham, where it turns west 

 to Wensleydale, passing Jervaulx Abbey, and running up the 

 valley. North of Wensleydale the moraine of the Stainmoor 

 glacier is followed through Richmond to Kirkby Ravensworth 

 and westward to the mountains, where the glacier attained an 

 elevation of 2,000 feet. Thus the Stainmoor glacier, a tongue of 

 the great Irish Sea glacier, had been divided into two branches 

 by the Cleveland Hills, one branch going south to the city of 

 York, which is built on its terminal moraine, the other branch 

 flowing out of the Tees and being deflected southward along 

 the coast by the North Sea glacier, with which it became con- 

 fluent. 



The Irish Sea glacier, the most important glacier of England, 

 came down from Scotland, and, being reinforced by local ice- 



