CONTENTS. 



Page. 



Preliminary Observatio]ys on living Illustrations of Fossil Conchology, xix 

 CHAPTER I. 



Objects of the Science denominated Geology... .The Shape and Density of 

 the Earth. ...Opinions respecting the internal Parts of ihe Globe. ...Centra! Heat. 

 .....Temperature of the Earth.. ..Sea and dry Land.. ..Proportion of the Earth's 

 Surface habitable by Man. ...On the Appearances which led to the fiist Division 

 of Rocks into Primary and Secondary....Classitication of Rocks. ...Districts in 

 which the different Classes appear in England. ...The present islands and Con- 

 tinents formerly covered by the Ocean. ...Existing Proofs of this in Great Brit- 

 ain and various Parts of the World.... Fossil Remains of marine Animals, Veg- 

 etables, and Land Quadrupeds; the Strata in which they are imbedded formed 

 in Succession at different Epochs. ...On human Bones occasionally iinbedded in 

 Rock. ...Inferences respecting the former Condition of the Globe. ...Remaikable 

 Passage in the Institutes of Menu, ------ 1 



CHAPTER II. 



ON PETRIFACTIONS, OR FOSSIL, ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE REMAINS. 



Opinions of early Naturalists respecting Petrifactions. ...On the Process called 

 Petrifaction. ...Experiment of Dr. Jenner on the Petrifaction of recent Bones.... 

 Living Reptiles occasionally found in solid Stone. ...Remarkable Difference in 

 the Condition of Fossil Remains in adjacent Strata; Instance of this at West- 

 bury Cliff, Gloucestershire. ...The four grand Divisions of the Animal King- 

 dom... .Distribution of the Remains of certain Classes and Orders of Animals in 

 each Division, through the different Rock Formations. ...Fossil Elephant proved 

 to have been an Inhabitant of cold Climates. ...Remains of Monkeys hitherto 

 undiscovered in a Fossil State. ...On Vegetable Petrifactions in the Transition, 

 Secondary and Tertiary Strata, supposed to prove the former high Temper- 

 ature of the Globe in Northern Latitudes. ...Observations on Fossil Organic 

 Remains, as serving to identify Strata in distant Countries, - - 17 



CHAPTER III. 



ON THE MINERAL SUBSTANCES THAT COMPOSE THE CRUST OF THE 

 GLOBE ; AND ON THE STRUCTURE OF ROCKS. 



The constituent Elements of the simple Minerals that compose Rocks. ...The 

 physical Characters of simple Minerals composing Rocks.. ..Explanation of the 

 Terms employed in describing the internal Structure of Rocks, and the exter- 

 nal Structure of Mountain Masses.. ..Sedimentary Depositions, - - 31 



CHAPTER IV. 



ON STRATIFICATION, AND THE RELATIVE POSITION OF ROCKS. 



Strata and Geological Formations explained... .Various Appearances presented 

 by plane Strata.. ..Appearances presented by curved Strata, and Errors respect- 

 ing them.. ..Distinction between Strata Seams and Natural Fissures or Cleav- 

 ages. ...On the conformable and unconfoi mable Positions of stratified and un- 

 stratified Rocks. ...The Continuity of stratified Rocks broken by Valleys. ...Lon- 

 gitudinal Valleys.. ..Transverse Valleys. ...Lateral Valleys. ..Denudations. ...On 

 the Elevation of Mountains and Mountain Chains. ...On the Direction of Moun- 

 tain Chains in the new and old Contments....On vertical Beds in Mountains.... 

 On the apparent devastation in Alpine Districts. ...On the Passages in the Alps 

 called Cols; and Observations respecting their Formation,. ..Different Ages of 

 Mountain Ranges, - - - ... - 41 



