ON THE FREQUENT OCCURRENCE OF 

 WHINSTONE ERRATICS AT FLAMBOROUGH. 



Rev. E. MAULE COLE, M.A., 

 Vicar of Wetwang^ East Yorkshire; President of the Geological Section of the 

 Yorkshire Natiiralists' U7iion. 



The vast number of erratic blocks of Whinstone on the top of the 

 chalk cliffs in the neighbourhood of Flamborough is very remarkable. 

 Some are still in situ, as the two boulders on the top of the con- 

 tortions at Staple Nook; but the majority have been moved from the 

 adjacent fields into the roads or nearest village. In Bempton Cliff 

 Lane a group of eight has been lying by the roadside upwards of 

 seventy years, being too large and hard to break for road-metal. The 

 average size is about 3J ft. in length and width, and ih ft. in depth. 

 In the villages of Bempton and Buckton a great number of large size 

 have been utilised for the foundations of cottages, for posts at the 

 corner of the streets, and for steps, whilst others appear to have been 

 placed on the roadside for seats. Innumerable smaller blocks have 

 been built into the walls of gardens and houses. At Bridlington, 

 round the Priory, a large number of Whinstone blocks, over 2 ft. 

 high, have been reared at the corners of the streets, and many more 

 may be observed at Flamborough. Such being the case, we are led 

 to inquire into the probable origin of these erratics, and the path by 

 which they travelled to their position on Flamborough Head. 



The nearest basaltic dyke is that known as the Cleveland Dyke. 

 This crops out at many places in the dales between Roseberry 

 Toppin and Egton, and is specially noticeable where it crosses the 

 Murk Esk near Grosmont. The dyke is visible on the surface of the 

 moors from this point to Sleights Moor, where it finally disappears. 



Is it probable that the blocks at Flamborough could have been 

 derived from any of the localities above mentioned ? It seems to me 

 decidedly not. For in that case they must either have come down 

 the valley of the Esk, or across the moors. Now the Esk runs due 

 north at Whitby, and it seems pretty certain that the Boulder Clay 

 which largely fills the valleys of the Esk and Murk Esk at their 

 lower ends only was pushed itpwards from the sea, so that it would 

 not be possible for blocks of Whinstone from Grosmont to find their 

 way downwards to the sea. Again, there is no trace of Boulder Clay 

 in any of the dales south of the great anticlinal of the moorlands, nor 

 any sign of glaciation, so that any notion of ice having brought the 

 Whinstone blocks across the moors and tabular hills m.ust be 

 discarded. Whence, then, did they come ? I was struck the other 



Oct. 1887. r 



