5°3

EXCURSION TO MALVERN AND DISTRICT.

WHITSUNTIDE, JUNE 2ND TO JUNE 5TH, 1900.

Director: PROF. THEODORE T. GROOM, M.A., D.Se., F.G.S.

Excursion Secretary: A. C. YOUNG, F.C.S.

(Report by THE DIRECTOR.) Saturday, .June 2nd.·-The excursion commenced with a. walk along the eastern side of North Hill to the large quarry above Malvern Link. The faulted and slickensided undulating surface of the Archsean massif was seen to be admirably exposed, and showed in places a coating of fault-breccia composed chiefly of irregular pieces of Archeean rock set in a reddish paste of Triassic material. The Archeean itself here, it was pointed out, consisted chiefly of diorite with intrusive veins of granite. The latter rock seemed to have very thoroughly penetrated and mingled with the former, a process resulting in the production of a rock of thoroughly mixed character. Many hand specimens were obtained showing the most intimate inter-penetration of the two ingredients. Passing up the depression containing the covered reservoir of the Malvern waterworks, similar close relations between the aplite and a variety (hornblendite) of the diorite, consisting largely of hornblende, were observed in loose blocks which had fallen down the slopes. At the top of the hill the haze precluded enjoyment of the whole of the wide panorama to be seen from this point, but during the descent to West Malvern the chief features of the picturesque country to the west were admirably seen. The May Hill Sand­ stone formed the slope in the immediate foreground. The Woolhope Limestone at or near the foot of this slope formed no very marked feature, but the Wenlock and Lower Ludlow Shales formed vales on either side of the gently rising escarpment of Wenlock Limestone, while the Aymestry Limestone with its peculiar S-like curve rose up into a sharper ridge beyond; and after dipping down beneath the Old Red Sandstone syncline of Colwall, reappeared again as a fine escarpment near Ledbury. The party next proceeded to the line of the great western fault bounding the Archrean, and fine blocks of Miss Phillips' con­ glomerate with Stricklandinia and Lindstromia were discovered behind the houses west of Sugar Loaf Hill. It was here pointed out that although many of the fragments in the conglomerate closely resembled those of the adjacent hills, the latter were probably buried by the conglomerate, and a considerable propor­ tion of the pebbles must have come from some neighbouring PROC. GEOL. Assoc., VOL. XVI, PART 10, NOVEMBER, 19°°.' EXCURSION TO MALVERN AND DISTRICT.

W.bYS.

,"M'')'/.'M,ll ws is 1= [Scale: 3 incheseer mile.] FIG. I.-SECTION ACROSS THE MALVERN RANGE IMMEDIATELY NORTH OF THE DINGLE.

S.W. N.R. Great Vinyard High Wood. Cowleigh Wood. Park. 1; I I I I

LHorizontal scale: 3 inchesee r rnile.] FIG. 2.-SECTION ACROSS COWLEIGH PARK AND HIGH WOOD.

TR. Trias. MS•. Upper Beds of May Hill SH. Wenlock, or Lower Ludlow Sandstone. Shale. MS i- Lower Beds of May Hill WL•. Wenlock Limestone. Sandstone. WS. Wenlock Shale. Q. Cambrian Quartzite. WL,. Woolhope Limestone. Arch. Archeean. TS. Tarannon Shale. FF. Faults.

High Wood W.byS. E.byJll.

, F~

WS WLjTS

FIG. 3.-SECTION ACROSS HIGH WOOD AND NORTH

Tr. Trias. M5,. Lower Beds of May Hill WS. Wenlock Shale, Sandstone. WL,. Woolhope Limestone. BS. Black Shales. TS. Tarannon Shale. Arch. Archeean. MS •. Upper Beds of May Hill FF. Faults. Sandstone. (Figs. I--7 reprinted, by permission, from tke Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society, uois, I'll. and Ivi.) EXCURSION TO MALVERN AND DISTRICT. 505 source. In the quarries on each side of the Dingle, or the depression between Sugar Loaf Hill (the south-western elevation of North Hill) and the Beacon, the May Hill beds, imperfectly revealed, were seen resting against the Archsean, In the quarry above, complex relations between the diorite and aplite were again seen. Here the aplite appeared to have been intruded into the previously foliated diorite, and both rocks to have been sheared by subsequent movements. The day's work was completed by a visit to the May Hill conglomerates and the Archsean of Cowleigh Park. Specimens were collected from the presumed Cambrian quartzite, which was found, after a short search, almost covered with vegetation. On Monday, June 4th, about fifty of the party drove from Great Malvern along the eastern side of the range to the Gullet Pass (between Swinyard and Midsummer Hills). On the way attention was drawn to the sharply defined eastern boundary of the hills, and to the peculiar way in which the cwms end at their faulted junction with the Trias. In the quarry at the southern end of the struc­ ture termed "plagioclinal" by Dr. Callaway was discussed, and the view was maintained that in pre-Cambrian times the western midlands were occupied by an old mountain land, the folds of which ran more or less transversely to the trend of the present , and that denudation had levelled the tract, which later became a sea-floor, the component rocks of which, striking across the meridian, had been. covered unconformably by the Cambrian sediments. The Archeean core of the present Malverns might be regarded as a part of this old floor, thrust up in Car­ boniferous times and then denuded. In a small quarry higher up the Gullet Pass the small faulted strip of Hollybush quartzite and conglomerate was seen, and specimens of Kutorgina phillipsii, Holl., and an Obolella were collected. Many pebbles of metamorphic quartzite, pink grano­ phyre, variously tinted rhyolites, etc., were obtained from the conglomeritic layers, and it was argued that though these materials bore a general resemblance to certain rocks ofthe present Malverns, the balance of evidence indicated derivation from some other source. After lunching at the quarry the party proceeded to the ancient camp at the top of , whence a magnificent view of the surrounding country rewarded the climbers; the Clee Hills, the Lickey, the Cots wolds, May Hill, the Forest of Dean, and many of the distant Welsh mountains being visible. On the descent of the central depression of the hill, marking the shattered infold of Cambrian and Silurian rocks, lack of time prevented an extended search for debris of these rocks, but fragments were picked up on the way, and the May Hill Sandstone was seen in situ in the Hollybush Pass. en o 0\

S.W. N.E. t'j o>< lligh ,Wooc1 CoaliHilI c: :>:len i i l o Z

o'"' :::: ;.­ r­ [Scale: 6 inchesee r mile.] < t"l FIG. 4.-SECT IO N ACROSS THE SOUT HER N PA RT OF RA GGEDSTON Ii HILL . :>:l Z ;.­ F'F'. Fault between Archaean and i, Coal Hi ll igneous band. e. White-leaved Oak igneous band. Z t:1 T rias. h. Lower Grey Shales. d. Lower Black Shales. ~ FF. Faults. g. Igneous band at the base of the c. H ollybush Sand stone. en \. T rias. Grey Shales. b. Hollybush Conglomerate . ;;j n k, May H ill Beds. f. Up per Black Shales. a. Archaean. ;'l j . U pper Grey Shales. EXCURSION TO MALVERN AND DISTRICT.

s.w.

HDllybu.h"'Sand.'DnB. with LimB,tDn. (L)

FIG. S.-SECTION ACROSS THE SOUTH·WESTERN PART OF R AGGEDSTO NE HILL.

Mid· summer H ollybush Hill. Hill. w. ~, ,, ,,

b

F IG. 6.-SECTI ON ACROSS M IDSUM MER AND H OLL YBUSiI H IL LS.

FF. Faul ts. d. Black Shales (Cambrian). h. Trias. c. Hollybush Sandstone. g. May Hill Sandstone. b. Hollybush Quartzite. f. Grey Shales (Cam brian). a. Archeean, e. Igneous rocks in Black Shales.

[S cale : 4! incheseat mile.]

FIG. 7 -SECTION OF TH E R ANGE ALO NG THE LINE OF THE M ALVERN T UNNEL.

rr. Railway level. e. Wenlock Shale. F'F'. Fa ult between Trias and Archeean. d. Woolhope Limestone. FF . Faults. c. Tarann on Shales. g. Breccia. b. May Hill Sand stone . f. Trias. a. Archaean. 508 EXCURSION TO MALVERN AND DISTRICT.

Crossing the dyke in the Hollybush Sandstone, on the northern slope of the Raggedstone, the party proceeded to the picturesque district of White-leaved Oak. Here the chief features of the area of Cambrian rocks were pointed out, and examples of Sphcerophthalmus alatus, Breck, and Ctenopygebisulcata, Phil., etc., were collected by many of the party from the inverted black Upper Cambrian shales, but the small size of the exposures and their overgrown condition made the discovery of fossils a matter, of some difficulty. Owing to the lateness of the hour a short time only could be devoted to the large quarry close to the village, but the junction of the Hollybush Sandstone and Archsean was examined before returning to Hollybush. Afterwards a visit was paid to the dyke in the Hollybush Sandstone at the south-western corner of Midsummer Hill. On Tuesday, June 5th, train was taken to Ledbury, where, after walking over the broken anticline of Ludlow rocks, an examination was made of the Lower Ludlow Shales at the eastern end of the tunnel. Many fossils, including Trilobites, Orthocera­ tites, Brachiopods, and Corals were collected. The party then, retracing their steps, visited a quarry in the Aymestry Limestone, the high westerly inclination of which, like that of the passage beds from the Silurian into the Old Red Sand­ stone, illustrated the steep nature of the western side of the small anticlines in this district. At the station, owing to a recent cutting back of the western end of the tunnel, the Ledbury Shales (passage beds) were once more well revealed, and fine specimens of Lingula were obtained from a green band at the eastern end of the cutting. The same bed showed a striking example of soil-creep. After lunching in the cutting, train was taken to Colwall, where at the western end of the tunnel the Old Red Sandstone was seen faulted against the Wenlock Shale. The latter formed an excellent collecting ground, and the following fossils, with many others, were obtained: Plas­ mopora petalliformis, Lonsd., Palceocyclus rugosus, E. and H., Pentamerus linguifer, Sow., Orthis rigida, Dav., Echinoencrinus armatus, Forbes, Pisocrinus pillula, De Kon. and Phacops downingice, Murch. Upon leaving the cutting those members not obliged to return home that day, concluded the day's work by a visit to the Upper Ludlow Shales south of the station, where many characteristic fossils were obtained. On Wednesday, June 6th, starting from Ledbury Station by brake, the Association paid a second visit to the southern Malvern district. After passing through the picturesque old town of Led­ bury, and through the wooded district of Eastnor, a halt was made to examine the olivine-diabase between Bronsil Lodge and Fowlet Farm. At the latter place the party, leaving the brake, proceeded EXCURSION TO MALVERN AND DISTRICT. 509

to Coal Hill Cottage, where numerous sills of diabase were seen intercalated in the Dicryonema-shales. On the way to Howler's Heath a recent cutting away of the turf, at the northern end of an igneous boss south of Coal Hill, had exposed the Dicryonema-shales dipping in a south-easterly direction, and apparently indicating the existence of one or more dislocations hitherto undetected in the locality. At Howler's Heath the May Hill Grits and Sandstones, and the Haffield Breccia were examined, and after lunch a careful search in the grey shales at the southern termination of Chase resulted in the discovery of several specimens of Dictyonema sociale, Salt., a fossil now less easily obtained than formerly at this locality. In a cottage garden immediately east of Coal Hill the Dictyonema­ shales with sills of diabase were seen, like the same beds a little farther south-east, to dip towards the hill. Proceeding across the basaltic ridges through White-leaved Oak, the party walked to the northern extremity of Chase End Hill, where excavations made with the aid of a pick revealed the oldest black shales. yet detected in the Malvern district, and numerous fragments of the peculiar dark grits interbedded with these shales were unearthed. In the shales themselves specimens of a form allied to Beyrichia angelin£, Barr., were obtained. The same species has been obtained by Prof. Lapworth in the Stockingford Shales. In England, as in Scandinavia, the Beyrichias are found beneath the zone of SphiErophthalmus and its associates. Many fragments of the shale were carried away to be split at leisure; some of these subsequently furnished interesting speci­ mens of a new variety of Acrotreta, On the way back to Hollybush a few specimens of H..yalithus {Serpulites) fistula, Holl., were collected from debris of the grey Hollybush Sandstone at the north-western corner of . Tea was provided at Hollybush, and then the party returned by brake to Ledbury, where time was found to visit the old church, On Thursday, June 7th, train was taken to Colwall, and a walk of about a mile brought the party to Upper Colwall, where the inverted Wenlock Shale, Woolhope Limestone, and May Hill Sandstone were seen in some excellent road exposures. Numerous beautiful corals in the position of growth were detected in the limestone, and specimens of Stricklandinia lens, Sow., Dino­ bolus davidsoni, Salt., and branching fucoids were obtained from debris of the May Hill Sandstone. A sharp shower drove the party to take shelter in Mr. Wickham's house, where the opportu­ nity was taken of examining his fine Silurian fossils. Quarries showing the superposition of oolitic Wenlock Lime­ stone on Wenlock Shale were next visited. After collecting speci­ mens and lunching, the party proceeded down the dip-slope of the 510 EXCURSION TO CATERHAM, GODSTONE, AND T1LBURSTOW.

Wenlock Limestone to the Purlieu Lane, at the lower end of which the Upper Ludlow beds with the usual fossils were seen to be overlain by the Downton Sandstone, the two being probably connected by transitional beds, though a small interruption in the section prevents this being seen. From a carbonaceous layer in the sandstone numerous imperfect specimens of Pachytheca were collected. It had been intended to examine the Silurian beds farther north during the afternoon, but rain set in so heavily that a return was made to Colwall, where the excursion concluded.

REFERENCES. Geological Survey Map, Sheets 43 N.E., and 55 S.E. Price, 3S. each.

1848. J. PHlLLIPS.-'· Malvern and Abberley Hills." ilfem. Ceo!' ~ltrvey. vol. ii, pt. r. 186,. H. B. H 01.1..-" On the Geological Structure of the Malvern Hills­ and adjacent districts." Quart. Yuurn. Ceo'. Soc., vol. xxi, p. 72. 1872. R. I. MURCHISON.-" Siluria," 5th Edition. IS80. C. CALLAWAY.-" On a Second Pre-Cambrian Group in the Malvern Hills." QUIl'-/. Yourn. Geo]. Soc., vol xxxvi, p. 536. 1884. W. S. SYMOl'ns.-" Old Stones." New edition. 1887. F. RUTLEY.-" On the Rocks of the Malvern Hills." Quart. your". Geoi.Soc., vol. xliii, p. 48r. 1887. C. CALLAWAY.-" A Preliminary Inquiry into the Genesis of the Crystalline Schists of the Malvern Hills." lbid., p. 525. 1888. J. j. H. TEALL.-" British Petrography," pp. 245 and 269. 1893. C. CALLAWAY.-" On the Origin of the Crystalline Schists of the Malvern Hills." Quart. you,n. Geo'. Soc., vol. xlix, p. 398. 1898. H. D. ACLAND.-·· On a Volcanic Series in the Malvern Hills, near the Beacon." Quart. 70ur". Ceo!' Soc., vol.Jiv, P.556. 1899. T. T. GROOM.-- "On the Geological Structure of the Southern Malverns and of the adjacent district to the west." Quart. y~ur". Grot, Soc., vol. lv, p. 129. 1900. ----_II On the Structure of a Portion of the Malvern and Abberley Hills." Qua,.t. yourn. Ceo'. Soc., va!' lvi, p. 138.

EXCURSION TO CATERHAM, GODSTONE, AND TILBURSTOW.

SATURDAt, JUNE 16TH, 1900.

Director: W. WHITAKER, F.R.S. (PRESIDENT). Excursion Secretary: A. C. YOUNG, F.C.S.

THE Geologists left London Bridge Station (S.E.R.) at 9.30, for Caterham. They walked southward to the crest of the Chalk escarpment at Upwood Scrubs, where a mass of the Blackheath Pebble Beds overlying the Chalk was examined, and a fine PROC. GEOL. Assoc., VOL. XVI, PART 10, NOVEMBER, 1900.]