XLVII. a Sketch of the Geology of West Norfolk

Philosophical Magazine

ISSN: 1941-5966 (Print) 1941-5974 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tphm14

XLVII. A sketch of the geology of west Norfolk

C.B. Rose

To cite this article: C.B. Rose (1835) XLVII. A sketch of the geology of west Norfolk , Philosophical Magazine, 7:41, 370-376, DOI: 10.1080/14786443508648737 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14786443508648737

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Download by: [University of Pennsylvania] Date: 13 August 2017, At: 14:51 270 Mr. Rose's Sketch of the Geology of West No~folk. This engine is at w9rk at the Charles Town United mines neat St. Austol!; it was erected for us under the direction of Mr. Sims, an engineer of great experience in Cornwall. It differs from the general construction in being a single engine, having the beam loaded at the outer end; and the rotatory motion of the crank is rendered almost completely uniform by the ~assistance of the fly-wheels. It works nearly as expan- sively as th~ mpin -engines It w~m predicted, 1 un~derstand, before the engine went tO wolr~ th~at a steady relative motion could not be produced in this way, an d some believed~ that the crank would never pass the centre; I can, however, bear witness that the action is ex- teremely good, and will, ] believe, by a little alteration in the ight and diameter of" the fly-wheels, be made perfect; and as it must be an object to save at least one half the fuel or- dinarily consumed, I point it out as deserving attention and inquiry. I have desired that its performance may be regu' larly reported in the monthly duty papers. I an;~ informed by Captain I'homas Lean, who reports the duty of most of the'engines in Cornwall, that this is not the first construction of the kind, but that a similar one was erected formerly at Wheal Vor tin-mine by Mr. Peter God- frey, and that it then surpassed in duty any other stamping engine o~ its day, but that for some reason it never attracted much notice. ~r. Signs'is constructing a windlng-engine for the same mine on a similar principle, Y0urs-very truly, Bodt'ord Row, Oct. 1~, 1835. JOHN TAYLOR.

XLVII. d Sketch of the Geology of West Nozfolk. B3t C. B. ROSE, Fellow of the Ro~al Medical and Chit~rgical Societ~ of London. [Continued from p. B79.] Chalk with JhYints.--]~v~EDIAL chalk of" Geology of Nor-

Downloaded by [University of Pennsylvania] at 14:51 13 August 2017 ~.Val. folk." The escarpment of this bed of chalk (incumbent on the last) forms the high range or downs of Norfolk, running nearly due north and soutl/from Thornham and Brancaster through Docking, Great Massingham, Lexham, Litcham, Castleacre, Swaffham, Hilborough, Sahara-Tony, Weeting, to Thetford. From this range flow the principal rivers of the county; two only, the Setcny or Nar and the Wissey or Stoke, cutting through it in their western course to the sea. This bed is well characterized by its numerous horizontal Mr. Rose's Sketch of the Geology of West Norfolk. aT1 strata of tabular flints, placed at distances from each other, varying from three toeight feel At Swafl'ham two layers occur but twenty inches asunder~; here also the tabular flints are of great magnitude, many of them being eight or more feet in length, and from nine to twelve inches in thickness. Many nodules of flint are interspersed throughout the chfilk, the majority of them small, and receiving their form from a zoophitic nucleus; larger flints thu.6 situated are less fre- quent: the Pm~moudra is very rare, I have seen but one ; but at Thornham the chalk "contains enormous Paranl0u- dryer," At Hilborough the uppermost layer of flint, at the depth of twelve feet from the surface, is a thin seam, varying in thickness from one eighth to an inch, some of the thicker parts having the appearance of two thin plates cemented to- gether; about eighteen inches below this occurs a layer of nodular and cylindrical flints, running horizontally, and parallel to the seam. Similar thin seams were observed near Wells by Mr. Woodward," traversing the chalk, both in a horizontal and oblique direction; and in many parts they do not exceed one eigtith of an inch in thickness ~." I found also at Thetford thin tabular flint, not more than half an inch in thickness ; the first layer occurs at about ten or twelve feet below the surface, and lies parallel to the stratification of the chalk : the lime-burner informed me that at the depth of twenty feet three layers of similar flint succeed each other at about a yard asunder, and that the'flint is invariably found fractured in every direction. Each slab of flint appeared to be formed of two plates in apposition, the flint in the line of junction being of a lighter shade: this character was very apparent upon the recently fractured surfaces. In one instanceI observed drusy crystals of quartz between the plates. Does not this laminated structure offer an illustration of the mode of formation and arrangement of the flinty strata? and does it not favour the opinion, that the siliceous molecules, by elective attraction, separate themselves from the calcareous matter, above and below certain parallels determined by the proportion Downloaded by [University of Pennsylvania] at 14:51 13 August 2017 of silex contained in the chalk, and approach each other until they arrange themselves in the tabular form § ? The chalk at Thetford abounds in flints, which partake Mr. Woodward informs us that similar "double rows of flints" occur in East Norfolk. See Geology of Norfolk, p. 24. t" Mr. R. C. Taylor's Paper in the Geological Transactions, See. Set., vol. i. p. 378. 1: Geologyof Norfolk, p. 27. § When the masses of clay mixed with ground flints, prepared for making fine pottery and china, "are allowed to stand unnsed for softie time, it often happens that the particles Of the powdered flint separate 3B2 :37~: Mr. Rose's Sketch of the Geologld of West NO}:folk. more. of the cylindrical form than the nodular; many of them: are. from eighteen to twenty,four inches in length, and are covered with numerous irregularly formed asperities: these flints: are scattered through the chalk like the nodules at other localities. At Liteham the layers of flint are placed fi'om four to six feet asunder; their horizontal e0urse isnot a plane, but slightly undulating: at the depth of twenty feet a double row occurs, the two layers being about nine inches asunder. Our flint is of various shades, from black to gray, and has frequently, in addition to the white coating and lighter zones ¢otnmon to flints, small white circles upo'n their outer surface, the presence of which I cannot account for. Many flints ex- hibit elegant arborizations on their fractured surface~ the stone separating more readily Where these vegetations (?) occur; similar dendrites are seen on chalk, and always between the natural divisions of the mineral : these beautiful dendritic con- figurations possess somewhat a metallic lustre upon the black flint when first exposed, and are black npon the gray flint, and soon 10se their lustre; they frequently rival the happiest efforts of the artist's pencil. The texture of this bed of chalk has an intermediate degree Qf hardness: to that of the lower beds, and those situated to the e ast, at Norwich,-I . belongmg. to higher strata. Although there is a. progressive increase in the compactness of the chalk down' wards, still the hardness varieswithout any order:blocks, and even fragments of blocks, possessing a hardness not inferior to the lower chalk, are met with in all parts of the bed, but more particularly in the immediate vicinity of the layers of flint; still the chalk in the latter situation is not invariably the hardest. The fissures, or "pipes", occasionally seen in the chalk of Sussex, and also in the "upper" chalk at Norwich*, are rarely observed in the "medial" and lower beds. The largest I have seen in this neighbourhood were in Mr. Lynes's pit at Liteham ; they were lined with a brown adhesive clay, and Downloaded by [University of Pennsylvania] at 14:51 13 August 2017 their centre filled with g.ravel; they are now obliterated. Smaller pipes occur in a pit at Swaffham, and upon examin- ing the inner surface of the chalk, I found it vertically striated, provingthat they were filled from the upper surface: the: clay from the clay into detached hard stony nodules. The observation of this fact has thrown considerable light on the probable origin of the n6dules of flint in chalk, a subject which was very obscure, and of which no satisfac- torY ltheor~ had previously been proposed."~Article IRor~, No. ~; in x'~o. ol. el the Penny Magazine,October 4~ 1834. * Geology ofNorfolk~ p. 27. Mr. Rose's 8kelch of!he Geology of West No~fotk. ~7~ and gravel were arranged in the same manner as in those at Liteham. Mineral Contents.--Drusy crystals of quartz, with Botry- oidal and mammillated chalcedony, both found lining the cavities of flints, and pyramidal and rhombic crystals of car- bonate of lime, occupying tile interior of shells and eehini: are the only minerals we possess : the latter are found in cavities in the chalk in Sussex; they have not at present been dis- covered in those situations in Norfolk, that I am aware of. Calcareous tufa is deposited by the springs at Swaffham; the interior of one of the wells was found entrusted to the depth of thirty feet: it commenced about twenty feet from the surface, and portions of it were two inches in thickness; the texture of some of it was porous, other portions were compact, and the surface generally suberystalline. Sulphuret of iron is abundant; it occurs for tile most part in spherical balls, having a fibrous strueture~ radiating from the centre~ and terminating on the surface in tetrahedral py- ramids: they fi'equently inclose a Terebratula as their nucleus. Clusters of columnar crystals of this mineral, as figured by Mantell in " Fossils of the South Downs," tab. 16. fig. 11. are found in the chalk at Swaffham. The black oxide of manganese is met with at Castleaere. I found this black power lying in the natural separations of the chalk, about twenty feet fi'om the surface ; it occupies both the oblique and horizontal clefts, but is most abundant in the latter; it is accompanied by and partly mixed with brown oxide of iron and loose chalk. The thickness of this bed at Diss is 330 feet: Hunstanton lies to the west of its escarpment, so that it does not extend to the cliff. The or~,anic remains are numerous, and the living animals appear to have had favourite localities in the chalk ocean, some individuals abounding in one spot, and not appearing at another : thus, lnoceramus Brongniarti and 1. striatus abound at .Westacre; 1. intermedius at Narborough; 1. cordiformis at Swaffham ; Pecten Beaveri at Sandringham and Hunstanton, Downloaded by [University of Pennsylvania] at 14:51 13 August 2017 rare at Marham ; Plagiostoma spinosa at Thetford ; P. Hoperi at Swaffham; ln oeeramus involutus at Sahara, very rare at Swaffham; Echinus saxatilis at Litcham; Cidaris cretosa at Swaffham. Others, inhabitants of the early period of the chalk formation, have vanished in the later period; among these are the Ammonites of the lower beds, Pecten Beaveri, Spatangus hemisphcericus, Galerites Hawkinsii, &e. These have been replaced by Ananchytes, other Spatangi, and large Be- lemnites; the latter are rare, even in the" medial" chalk, for but one has been found at Swaffham. I have also remarked of :174~ Mr. Rose's Sketch of the Geology of West NwSolk. these Echinites and Testacea, which are distributed through all the beds of the chalk, a very large proportion are the ex- uvise of young animals: full-grown animals are, in the lorwr beds~ comparatively rare; I may particularize the Grejptuea globosa, Ostrea canaliadata, also the oyster so commonly at- tached to 2Echini, and/l~anckytes hemispheerie~s : thus in the adult shells of the upper beds we possess "natural chrono- meters," affording a measure of the period during which the chalk deposition was in progress. Reference. Loea//ty. AGAMXA. Conrei~vites" ...... undetermined. Swafl'ham. POLYPI. Flustra utricularis...... Geol. NorK, t~ iv. f. 7. Ditto, Litcham, &e. - retiformis ...... lbld. t. iv. £ 6. Ditto. Lunulites urceolatus ... Ibid. t. iv. f. 9. Ditto, ditto. Millepora trtmcata~- ... Ibid. t. iv. f. 13. Litcham. polymorpha ... Ibid. t. iv. f, 13. Ditto. . globularis ...... Geol. York., p. 1. £ lB. Ditto. Caryopliyllla centralis,.. GeoI.Suss., t. 16. £ 3. 4. S?ffthoa.m, Litcham, &e. Madrepora ...... , ...... undetermined. Spongia bilida...... MS. catalogue. Ditto. ....*.***... Ditto, Litcham. Townsendi...... Geol. Suss., t. 15. £ 9. Ditto. Polypothecia palmate.. MissBenett'sCat.,t.11.£1. Ditto. . clavellata ..... Ibld. t. I3. Sahara. Paramoudra ...... Geol.Trans., vol.iv, t.34. Swaffham, Thornham. Choanites subrotundus Geol. Buss., t. i5. f. 3. Ditto. Ventrlcutites radiatus§ Ibld. t. 10. t'. 13. Do. Saham, Thetford, Litcham. --. Benettim? ...... Ibid. t. 15. £ 3. Swaffham. RADIARIA. Asterias semilunatus ,. detached ossicul~e. Ditto, Litcham. Apiocrinites ellipticus[1 Miller, Hist. Crin., p. 34. Sahara, Ditto. Cidaris cretosa ...... f Park. Org. Rein., "L ~. vol, iii. pl. 4. £ 3. J Swaffham, Liteham. Eehinus saxatilis ...... Ibid. pl. 3. £ 1. Litcham. K6ni~gi ...... Ibid. pl. 1. £ 10. Thefford. Splne~, acicu[ar¶ ...... cueumerlne & ciavated. Swaffham, Litcham. Galerites albogalerus ... Geol. Suss., t. 17. f. 8. Ditto, ditto. Ananchytes scutatus .., Org.Rem,,voliii.pl.~.£4. Ditto, ditto.~ Downloaded by [University of Pennsylvania] at 14:51 13 August 2017 ~ hemisphwricus~- Smith's ChalkPlate,f.10. Ditto, ditto. [&c. Spatangus cordiformis.. Geol. Nor£, t. 5. f. 6. Do., Tbefford, Sahara, ---- rostratus ...... Geol.Suss.,t. i 7.£! 0,17. Do., Litcham. ---- excentrlcusf~... Geol. NON., t. 1. f. 5. Ditto.

* On the chalk and flints. t Two or three species or varieties, undetermined. .~ Tubular, allied to 8iphonla. I Vide my paper in M/igazine of Natural History, vol. ii. p. 333. Bottle Encrinite; Park. O reyt. pI. 9. £ 13. ¶ Measuring 4½ inches long. *~ Young of. tt Unique. Mr. Rose's Sketch of the Geology of West Norfolk. $74

.Names. References. Looalities. ANNELIDES. Serpula spirulma ...... Sow. Gem Shells, No.22. Swaffham, L':teham. --~ ampullacea ... Min. Con., t. 597. f. 1--5. Ditto, ditto. • -- granulata ...... Ibid. £ 7, 8. Ditto, ditto. fluctuata ...... 1bid. t. 608. f. 5. Ditto, ditto. plexus ...... Ibid. t. 598. £ 1. Do., do., Thetford. obtusa ...... Ibid. t. 608. £8. Saham.

CIRRIPED~I • Pollieipes maximus ...... Ibid, t. 605. f. 3-6. Swaffham.

CONCHIFI~-RA. Inoceramus Cuvieri ...... Ibid~ t. 441. £ 1. Do., l,itcham, Thetford. Brongniarti ... Ibid. f. 2. Do., do., Hilborough. eordiformis .... Ibid. t. 440. Ditto. Do., Lexham, Liteh- involutus ...... Ibid. t. 583. ham, Saham. latus ...... Ibld. t. 582. £ 1. Ditto. striatus ...... Ibid. f. ¢. Ditto. [Do., Liteham, Sahara, Dianchora lata~ ...... Ibid. t. 80. Thetford. Plagiostoma sp!nosa ... Ibld. t. 78. Ditto, Thettbrd. Hopen ...... Ibid. t. 380. Ditto, Liteham. granulosa ...,.. Geol. Nor£, t. 5. f. 26. Ditto Do., Gooderstone, Sa- Peeten nitidus ...... Min. Con., t. 394. £ 1. hara, Liteham, Tbet- ford. eoncentricus ... Geol. Norf., t. 5. £ ~7. Sahara. Gryph~ea globosa jun .... Min. Con., t. 392. Swatfham. Ostrea aheformis jun .... Geol. Norf., t. 6. £ 1. Ditto, Litcham. canalieulata jun. Min. Con., t. 135. Ditto. Crania Parisiensis ...... Ibid. t. 408. Ditto, Liteham. strlata ...... Geol, Norf,, t. 6. £15. Ditto, Sahara. Terebratula striatula ... Min. Con., t. 536. £ 4. Ditto. Mante|liana ... Ibid. t. 537. f. 5. Ditto. plicatilis ...... Ibid. t. 118. £ I. Ditto. obliqua ...... Ibid. t; 277. £ 2. Ditto. subplieata ...... Geol. Suss., t. 26. £ 5. Ditto, Castleaere. subrotunda ...... Min. Con., t. 15. £ 1.2. Ditto, Litcham. -- semiglobosa ... Ibid. t. 15. f. 9. Ditto, do., Thotford. Magas truncata ...... Geol. Nor£, t. 6. £ 9. Ditto. MOLLUSC.A,.

Downloaded by [University of Pennsylvania] at 14:51 13 August 2017 Cirrus perspeetivus ...... Min. Con., t. 498. Ditto, Litcham. Turritella multicostata MS. catalogue. Ditto. Belemnites mueronatus : Min. Con., t. 600. £ 2. Litcham. granulatus ...... Ibid. t. 600. £ 5. Ditto. Nautilus elegans jun .... [ Ibid. t. 116. Swaffham, Lexham. Ammonites, a fragment, species undetermined. Litcham. Scaphites obliquus ...... Min. Con., t. 18. £ 4. 5. Swaffham.

s Both valves found at SWafl'ham. The Marsupite has been found at $wanton Morley. $76 Dr. Boase's Inquiry into the Nature 2~rame#. References. Loealili~s PISCES. Diodon, very gibbons and sulcated palatal teeth, fi'om Sahara. Palatal teeth resembling those ofSqualu* Perlon* from Swaffham. /'Swaffham, Litcham, J" Geol. S.E.England, "1. ~ Docking, and Thet- Squalus gygmna, teeth ~ p. 13~. f. 5. J (. ford. Mustelus, teeth Ibi& figs. 3. 4. Swaffham, Thetford. -- galeust", teeth Geol. Suss,, t.3~.f. 1 ~, 14. Ditto, Saham. --. Phillipsii$,teeth Ibid. t. 3~. f. ~. Ditto. , a vertebra ...... ,,..,.,. Do., Litcham, Lexham. Zeus Lewesiensis § ...... Ibid. t. 35. f. 1. Ditto. Esox Lewesiensis ...... Ibid. t. 41. f. 1. Ditto~ Sahara. Scales, very imperfect.,...... Ditto, ditto. The usual series of tertiary beds overlying the chalk is not met with in Western Norfolk. [To be continued.]

XLVIII. _~In Inquiry into the Nature of.the Structure of Rocks. By HENRY S. BOASE, M.D., 8yc.¶ N the Transactions of the Geological Society, (Second Series, I voL iii. part 5.) just published, there is a paper from the pen of Professor Sedgwick, " On the Structure of large Mineral Masses*O, '' in which opinions are advanced very ~!ifferent from those advocated in my" Treatise on Primary Geology." I have therefore been induced to enter once more on this subject, in the hopeof originating a discussion which may ul- timately tend to reconcile, if possible, those points ctn which we disagree. And it fortunately happens, that of all geolo- ieal speculations there is none, perhaps~ more tangible than that concerning the nature of the structure of rocks; none which can bemore readily submitted to the test of facts; and none, therefore, from which we may expect to derive more satisfactory results. The Professor, in the very first sentence of his paper, states that " all "solid mineral masses must have' undergone some change since the time of their first production." If it be in- tended only to imply by this, that all mineral masses are not

Downloaded by [University of Pennsylvania] at 14:51 13 August 2017 now in the same state as when their incoherent materials were originally deposited, then every one must admit the correct' ness of this assertion; but if, on the other hand, this state' Geol. S.E. of England, p. 13~. fig. 7. t Resembling those of Sq. Cuvieri. ** Species unknown, Geol. S.E. England, p. 13~ f.'6; § Part of a spine; the vertebrae very tender. ¶ Read before the Royal Geological Society of Cornwall ; and commu- nicated by the Author. ** [An Abstract of Prof. Sedgwick's paper here referred to, was given in our last number, p. 3~0.--Enlr.]