70 



THE GEOLOGIST. 



Mr. Edward Hull, B.A., called attention to instances of glacial striations 

 recently discovered by Mr. Gr. H. Morton, at Liverpool. During a recent 

 visit to that town in connexion with, his duties on the Geological Survey, 

 Mr. Hull was kindly conducted by Mr. Morton to the spots where the 

 striae are visible. One of these is at the south, the other at the north side 

 of the town, and at the latter the extent of surface exposed is several 

 hundred square yards. The rock-surfaces had been protected by a thick 

 coating of boulder clay, which has been removed for brick-making. It is 

 owing to the protection thus afforded to the rock that the striations are 

 preserved in all their original freshness. The rock belongs to the IN'ew 

 Eed Sandstone, and is a moderately hard reddish-brown and yellowish 

 building-stone. There are two systems of striee, the primary one ranging 

 N.N.W., the secondary nearly east and west. Of the latter, the markings 

 are comparatively unimportant, but are very clear and sharp. The primary 

 strise run in remarkably straight lines — in the form of deep groovings aud 

 scratches, and the whole surface of the sandstone is worn down to one 

 uniform gently-sloping plane. 



It appeared evident, from the directions of the striae, that they had been 

 produced by icebergs coming from the north, in all probability from the 

 Cumberland mountains, where glaciers are known to have existed during 

 the period of the boulder clay, or rather earlier. The secondary groovings 

 might have been produced by bergs coming from North Wales, but this 

 appeared very problematical. The interest attached to these cases of gla- 

 ciation was stated to arise from their position at so great a distance from 

 the Cumberland range. In the immediate neighbourhood of these moun- 

 tains, as also in that of North Wales, ice-moulded surfaces have frequently 

 been observed, but never before on the New Red Sandstone of Lancashire 

 or Cheshire. 



Mr. E. W. Binney referred to the existence of similar striations on the 

 Carboniferous limestone of Great Ofme's Head, where the groovings were 

 found to range northward, or outwards from the mountains of the ulterior. 

 He also noticed the distribution of the Shap granite, blocks of which he 

 had lately seen on the high Silurian and Carboniferous ranges to the south 

 and south-east of Shap Fell. 



Mr. Brockbank stated that, on the high lands of Yorkshire and Derby- 

 shire, he had observed erratic blocks which could be traced to their 

 northern sources, 



Mr. Hull said, it had been shown, by a large number of facts, that the 

 direction of the erratic blocks of the Drift period was from north to south, 

 so that there must have been some predominating influence in operation, 

 either prevalent winds, or, more probably, oceanic currents, tending to 

 impel southward the icebergs aud rafts which were the vehicles for the 

 trausportation of the erratic boulders and pebbles. 



Geological Society of London. — Januavji 8, 1SG2. — Sir C. Lyell in 

 the chair. The following commuuications were read : — 1. " On the Car- 

 boniferous Limestone of Oretou aud Farlow, Clee Hills, Shropshire." By 

 Professor John Morris, V.F.G.S., and George E. Eoberts, Esq. With a 

 Note upon a now s]>i-('ics ol Fieri chtl/i/.^, by Sir P. cU^ M. G. Egerton. Bart., 

 M.P., F.G.S. The r(H'ks dosci'ibod in this j-iaper are a series of thin beds 

 of liuu'siouc and saiulstoiio lyir.g lietweeu (he Old Ived Sandstone of South 

 Slirojishiro aud il'si ono (' rit which tonus tlie basement of the Titter- 



stoiu> Ch>e coal-!ielil. In cousc<puMU'e of tlu^ ;v:-.ouiug of new quarries and the 

 cuttiugofn road^^ay thi'(Uigli the h'a.rknv ricli;o trauj-vorsel}- to the strike 

 of tlu>se de])osiis. I lie authors were enabled to add somewhat to the de- 

 scription of t'lie hua.liiy given iu ' The Siluriau SvijtcuL' The series of de- 



