NOTES AND QUERIES. 



383 



Geology or Stonehaven. — Sir, — Observing an 

 enquiry as to the nature of the geology of the neigh- 

 bourhood of Stonehaven in the " Notes and Queries" 

 of your number for July, by some one subscribing 

 himself S.M., I send you the annexed section ex- 

 tending across the Old lied formation of the county 

 of Kincardine from the schists of the Cairn O'Mount, 

 in the Grampian range, to the sea at Millton of 

 Mathers, with a brief description of these forma- 

 tions as there found, hoping it may be useful to 

 S.M. in aiding his researches there, as although t!ie 

 rocks at Stonehaven are identical both in character 

 and order of sequence with those of the section, yet 

 several unexplained irregularities exist, rendering 

 this a very interesting field for research. 



It will be discerned from the section that the 

 sandstones of Kincardineshire are twice brought 

 up for the inspection of the geologist. Uncon- 

 a5 formably overlying the schists and clay slates of the 

 |j Grampians from which they are cut off by consi- 

 | derable trappean outbursts, they first dip at a very 

 £ high angle towards the south-east. Descending „ 

 jjj from the Grampians we rise in the series of rocks 

 ° until we reach a synclinal line, crossing which we 

 again pass over the same formations, until, on 

 | reaching the sea at Millton of Mathers, the very 

 8 lowermost beds of the series are again exposed. 

 rp At that part of the section where the syncline exists 

 ps the rocks are quite hidden by the overlying Boulder 

 2 clay — its exact position, I am, consequently, unable 

 © to point out ; but from my knowledge of its direc- 

 ^ tion in the neighbouring county of Eorfar, where 

 § the same series of rocks are formed, I should expect 

 | it to pass along a little south of Eettercairn, Phaesdo 

 g House, &c. 



§ In describing these formations we will commence 

 m with the loweimost beds as found at either end of 

 the section, ending with the uppermost at the syn- 

 clinal line. Thus first we have at the upper part of 

 any line of section, a series of dull deep red grits, 

 a, more or less indurated, represented at Millton 

 of Mathers by soft sandstones and marls. Very 

 low in these gritty beds is found a bed of concre- 

 tionary limestone, y, which has formerly been 

 wrought to some extent both at Clattering Brigg 

 and Millton of Mathers. I am not aware that any 

 fossil has yet been found in these grits or lime- 

 stones, near to the Clattering Brigg; but in a 

 quarry from which rather indurated red flagstones 

 have been taken, the surfaces of these flagstones 

 are occasionally found covered with the impressions 

 of rain drops, the trails seemingly of Crustacea and 

 annelids, and often finely ripple-marked. Similar 

 flags and occupying the same low place in these 

 rocks, many beautifully covered with similar mark- 



