NOTES AND QUERIES. 
383 
Geology of 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 Red formation of the county 
of Kincardine from the schists of tlie 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- 
formably overlying the schists and clay slates of the 
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 
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 
lowermost beds of the series are again exposed. 
At that part of the section where tlie syncline exists 
the rocks are quite hidden by the overlying Boulder 
clay — its exact position, I am, consequently, unable 
to point out ; but from my knowledge of its direc- 
tion in the neighbouring county of Forfar, where 
the same series of rocks are formed, I should expect 
it to pass along a little south of Fettei-cairn, Phaesdo 
House, &c. 
In describing these formations we will commence 
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, which has formerly been 
wrought to some extent both at Clattering Brigg 
and MiUton 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- 
