Climate of Coal Period Inter-glacial in Character.—Coal Plants indicate an Equable, not a Tropical Climate.—Conditions necessary for Preservation of Coal Plants.—Oscillations of Sea-level necessarily implied.—Why our Coal-fields contain more than One Coal-seam.—Time required to form a Bed of Coal.—Why Coal Strata contain so little evidence of Ice-action.—Land Flat during Coal Period.—Leading Idea of the Theory.—Carboniferous Limestones 420
PATH OF THE ICE-SHEET IN NORTH-WESTERN EUROPE AND ITS RELATIONS TO THE BOULDER CLAY OF CAITHNESS.
Character of Caithness Boulder Clay.—Theories of the Origin of the Caithness Clay.—Mr. Jamieson’s Theory.—Mr. C. W. Peach’s Theory.—The proposed Theory.—Thickness of Scottish Ice-sheet.—Pentlands striated on their Summits.—Scandinavian Ice-sheet.—North Sea filled with Land-ice.—Great Baltic Glacier.—Jutland and Denmark crossed by Ice.—Sir R. Murchison’s Observations.—Orkney, Shetland, and Faroe Islands striated across.—Loess accounted for.—Professor Geikie’s Suggestion.—Professor Geikie and B. N. Peach’s Observations on East Coast of Caithness.—Evidence from Chalk Flints and Oolitic Fossils in Boulder Clay 435
NORTH OF ENGLAND ICE-SHEET, AND TRANSPORT OF WASTDALE CRAG BLOCKS.
Transport of Blocks; Theories of.—Evidence of Continental Ice.—Pennine Range probably striated on Summit.—Glacial Drift in Centre of England.—Mr. Lacy on Drift of Cotteswold Hills.—England probably crossed by Land-ice.—Mr. Jack’s Suggestion.—Shedding of Ice North and South.—South of England Ice-sheet.—Glaciation of West Somerset.—Why Ice-markings are so rare in South of England.—Form of Contortion produced by Land-ice 456
EVIDENCE FROM BURIED RIVER CHANNELS OF A CONTINENTAL PERIOD IN BRITAIN.
Remarks on the Drift Deposits.—Examination of Drift by Borings.—Buried River Channel from Kilsyth to Grangemouth.—Channels not excavated by Sea nor by Ice.—Section of buried Channel at Grangemouth.—Mr. Milne Home’s Theory.—German Ocean dry Land.—Buried River Channel from Kilsyth to the Clyde.—Journal of Borings.—Marine Origin of the Drift Deposits.—Evidence of Inter-glacial Periods.—Oscillations of Sea-Level.—Other buried River Channels 466
THE PHYSICAL CAUSE OF THE MOTION OF GLACIERS.—THEORIES OF GLACIER-MOTION.