64 



SUMMARY OF THE NEW RED SYSTEM. 



north-east and resting upon the inclined edges of the Silurian system of rocks. (See 

 PL 29. fig. 9.) 



The western extremity of Shropshire, affords still clearer proof of the Lower New Red 

 Sandstone being directly superposed to the coal measures ; for in the new pits at the 

 Drillt, to the east of Oswestry, red sandstone, marl, and shale, have been penetrated to 

 a depth of upwards of one hundred yards, before the first traces of coal measures were 

 perceived ; when, after passing through several layers of impure carbonaceous matter, 

 the usual coal seams of the Oswestry field were reached, and are now largely worked. 

 (PL 30. fig. 13.) This case is precisely analogous to that of Lord Dartmouth's colliery 

 near Birmingham, and will be enlarged upon in the eleventh chapter. 



We have now gone through the New Hed System, in as much detail as appeared 

 requisite to point out its prominent features in this region ; and I have attempted 

 to separate the mass into divisions, which may stand the test of comparison with 

 the sub-groups established in other parts of England, and with those sanctioned by 

 foreign geologists. Closer comparisons appear impracticable, particularly as they must 

 in the present state of our knowledge be chiefly founded upon mineral distinctions : for 

 although one saurian animal and a few vegetable remains have been found in the 

 sandstone of Warwick, and certain fishes have been detected in Ireland ; the whole 

 system in the central counties of England (with the exception of the shelly marls of 

 Manchester, representing the Magnesian Limestone,) is poor in organic fossils. 



Certain sandstones, however, in Worcestershire are to be exempted from this obser- 

 vation ; for, even while these pages are going through the press, both animal and ve- 

 getable remains have been discovered in them , and will be described in the Appendix 1 . 



1 Being anxious to announce the discovery of any organic remains in the upper or central members of the New- 

 Red System, many parts of which I had not examined in detail, I recently requested my friend Mr. H. E. Strick- 

 land to visit the quarries of Burg Hill near Eldersfield, the marly sandstones of which I have referred to the 

 Keuper formation, (pp. 29 and 30.) Having done so, he has succeeded, after a minute search, in discovering 

 " two indisputable fragments of bone, and some small oval bivalves, too indistinct to determine their genus." 

 One of the bones proves to be an Ichthyodorulite. Mr. Strickland's section of the Burg Hill quarry is : 



Feet. 



1. Red Marl 4 Dip. S.W. 10°. 



2. Greenish grey Marl 8 



3. Thinly laminated Marl with white Sandstone 4 



4. Soft white Sandstone 6 



5. Greenish grey Marly Sandstone 8 



27 



" These beds," Mr. S. observes, " thin out and vary in different parts of the quarry, the sandstone often pre- 

 senting ripple marks on its surface. The marl No. 3. has been much cracked at the time of its deposition, and 

 the crevices are filled with white sandstone in the same manner as those of septaria are with calcareous spar. 

 From the tendency of the marl to split into spheroidal fragments, the curved fissures thus produced, when filled 

 with the white sandstone, have very much the appearance of bivalve shells. Sometimes the marl is more broken 



