OX THE ROCKS OF THE MALVERN HILLS. 



481 



35. On the Eocks of the Malvern Hills. By Frank Eutley, 

 Esq., P.G.S., Lecturer on Mineralogy in the Royal School of 

 Mines. (Eead December 1, 1886, and April 6, 1887.) 



[Plates XIX.-XXL] 



Part I. 



The rocks of the Malvern Hills have already been the subject of 

 much discussion, and some of our most eminent geologists have 

 devoted a large amount of time and trouble to the unravelling of 

 their history. 



One of the most important papers, however, upon this subject 

 was written by Dr. Harvey B. Holl *, over twenty years ago ; and 

 with this paper and a few maps I have spent several weeks in 

 examining the range. 



The general result of this examination may be of interest, inas- 

 much as it enables me to confirm to a great extent the statements 

 made by Dr. Holl, whose careful observations and sound inferences 

 cannot fail to impress those who endeavour to follow up his work. 



One of the main points which Dr. Holl wished to demonstrate 

 was, " that the rocks which had hitherto been treated of as syenite, 

 and supposed to form the axis of the hills, were in reality of meta- 

 morphic origin, and belonged to the Pre-Cambrian, Azoic, or Lau- 

 rentian Age." I think that, at the present day, many geologists 

 will be found who are ready to accept this conclusion, in spite of 

 the protest of the late Sir Roderick Murchison f . 



Dr. Holl, in his paper, discusses first the structure and origin of 

 the crystalline rocks of the Malvern Hills, he next treats of the 

 adjacent Palaeozoic strata, and finally endeavours to show the chrono- 

 logical relationship of the several events in their geological history. 



Without attempting to follow out such an extensive programme, 

 I have restricted my work to the old ridge of gneissic ' syenite, 

 granite, &c. which constitutes the central or axial, and, indeed, the 

 main portion of the range ; and although I have failed to see many 

 things, I have nevertheless verified much that Dr. Holl, the late 

 Professor Phillips J, the Eev. W. S. Symonds §, and other observers 

 have recorded. 



At the outset, Dr. Holl describes the small hill known as Keys 

 End or Chase End as consisting, at its southern extremity, of 

 thinly bedded gneissic rocks dipping east, the gneiss being some- 

 times micaceous, at others hornblendic. This hill is the extreme 



* " On the G-eological Structure of the Malvern Hills and Adjacent Districts," 

 Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc, vol. xxi. pp. 72-102. 

 t ' Siluria,' 4th edition, 1867, p. 14. 

 \ ' Memoirs of the Geological Survey,' vol. ii. part 1. 



§ ' Old Stones, a series of Geological Notes on the Rocks in the Neighbour- 

 hood of Malvern,' new edition, 1884. 



