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CHAPTER II. 
Strata of the Yorkshire coast. Geological description of the Coast of 
Yorkshire, from Spurn Point to Redcar : including the 
heights and stratification of all the Cliffs. 
Before entering on a particular description of all the cliffs on the sea- 
coast of Yorkshire, it seems necessary to give a general explanation of the 
section which is drawn to represent them : for this is not a hasty sketch, 
designed merely to give a rude notion of the height and stratification of 
the cliffs, but carefully constructed from many and repeated measurements. 
It was originally drawn on a much larger size than it would have been 
practicable to publish ; but it is hoped the scale here adopted will be 
found at once sufficient and convenient. A mile in length of the coast, 
allowing for its principal flexures, occupies in the section one inch and a 
half, and four hundred feet of altitude are represented by one inch. 
This is quite sufficient to allow of expressing all details necessary to a 
proper exhibition of the strata, in their relative order and thickness. 
Wherever the nature of the subject requires it, enlarged drawings are 
added, with proper marks of reference to their place in the general 
section. For this purpose, the junctions of rocks have been very care- 
fully studied and copied on the spot, and all their minuter peculiarities 
recorded. Upwards of fifty such detailed sections have been drawn, but 
it has not been deemed requisite to engrave so many. Such of them have, 
therefore, been selected as seemed to be most illustrative ; and these, with 
the accompanying explanations, will, it is hoped, be found sufficient to 
give an accurate knowledge of the coast. With regard to the colouring, 
the natural prevailing hues of the strata have been generally imitated ; 
but where two rocks could not be thus well discriminated, the difference 
of their tints has been necessarily exaggerated. It is a common opinion 
