JOHNS : FAULTS IN THE SETTLE-MALHAM AREA. 
395 
where Yoredale shales succeed as near Black Hill. It is clear 
therefore that we are dealing with a faulted mass of Great Scar 
Limestone ; that the very top beds of this limestone, where 
preserved, represent the top of the Great Scar in the unfaulted 
area to the north, and are succeeded by Yoredale beds near 
Black Hill. 
Structural Features. 
As originally mapped it would appear that the area is a 
mass of Great Scar Limestone, out of which the many hills, 
valleys, and gorges have been carved. At the time the survey 
was made the determination of faunal horizons in the lower 
Carboniferous rocks had not been accomplished. The litho- 
logical variations in the limestone itself were not sufficiently 
apparent to enable displacements in the limestone to be 
mapped except in a few instances. It would appear therefore 
that the outer fault as traced represents the faulted junction 
of the grits or underlying shales with the limestone. This 
reading gave rise to many difficulties, and has been recognised 
by everyone who studied the area in detail. It involves the 
assumption that between the two Craven faults we have a mass 
of Great Scar Limestone, much exceeding in thickness that to 
be observed north of the inner fault. As, however, the base 
of the limestone cannot be seen the observed discrepanc}^ in 
thickness would be a minimum. 
The older writers have referred to an exposure of Silurian 
rocks near the entrance to Gordale. It is not visible now, 
though the occurrence of strong springs at the foot of the scar 
on the right-hand side looking up the gorge renders it very 
probable that pre-carboniferous rocks are not far below the 
lowest limestone exposed at Gordale and Malham Cove. If 
this could be demonstrated, then it is very probable from such 
palaeontological evidence as is available that the basal beds, 
both here and below Fountains Fell, are of the same age. At 
this point therefore the evidence goes to show that the dis- 
crepancy in thickness cannot be a great one. It is near Settle 
that the great difficulty arises, for if the plane of the dip slope 
above Langcliffe Scars be produced either to the west or south, 
