49 



INTERESTING DISCOVERY OF BOULDERS IN 

 THE COAL MEASURES AT WORTLEY, 

 NEAR LEEDS. 



CHARLES BROWNRIDGE, F.G.S., 

 Bur ley, Leeds. 



At a recent meeting of ttie Leeds Geological Association, Mr. 

 C. Brownridge, F.G.S., read a short paper, entitled 'Notes on Four 

 Boulders found in the Black Bed Coal and overlying Shales and 

 Ironstone at Wortley.' Mr. Brownridge, after alluding to the fact 

 that the presence of boulders in the coal measures is becoming an 

 important question, said that these interesting discoveries occur 

 from time to time, some having been found in the coalfields of 

 Leicestershire, Lancashire, Derbyshire, North Staffordshire, and the 

 Forest of Dean ; but none hitherto appear to have been recorded from 

 our immediate district. As evidences of this character may eventually 

 become powerful factors in determining geological ])roblems, it is 

 essentially desirable such discoveries should be recorded. The 

 position where these boulders were found is situate in the fork of land 

 bounded by the London and North Western and Great Northern Rail- 

 ways, the Geldard Road and the Farnley Beck, and were got out of 

 the pit known as the ' No. i Black Bed Pit.' The whole of this neigh- 

 bourhood is worked for the Wortley fire-clay by Messrs. Ingham and 

 Sons, in the commercial manipulation of which they have achieved 

 such a wide reputation. Along with the fire-clay the better bed coal 

 above is got, and at a still higher level the black bed coal and the 

 overlying ironstone are worked. It was in the last-named beds that 

 the specimens were found. The depth of the black bed coal from 

 the surface is here 30 ft. The largest of the boulders is a coarse 

 gritstone, and nearly spherical in shape. Its dimensions are 2 ft. 6 in. 

 by 2 ft., and it has a fairly smooth, polished face, with slight striae. 

 This example was found embedded in the 'bind,' or clayey shales, 

 just overlying the coal. The other three boulders (or pebbles) are 

 quartzites, and much smaller in size, varying from 11 in. by 9 in. to 

 3J in. by 2J in., and were all found embedded in the black bed coal 

 itself. Two of the specimens are more angular in general shape 

 than the third specimen, but in all of them the angles are well 

 rounded off and the faces polished. 



Prof. Bonney, D. Sc ., LL. D. , F. R. S. , etc. , to whom two section s of the 

 quartzites have been submitted, kindly describes them as follows : — 



Feb. 18S8. 



