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Excursion to Sheppey
E XCUR SION TO SH El'PEY.
The party assembled for tea at "The R ed Lion ," wher e, after the usual yates of th anks, proposed by Mr. W. Whitak er, th ey returned hom e by t he 8.29 train. R EFER EN CES . Geo l. Survey Map, She et 8 (drift). 1884 Excursion t o Mer sth arn, Pr oc. Ctol. Assoc., vol. viii, p. 4 II . 1887 Excursio n t o 1\1erst ha m, Proc, Ctol. /l ssoc., vol. x, p. 154. 1895 E xcursion to Betchwort h , Proc. Gt 'l/. Assoc. , vol. xiv, p . I z4 . !897 E xc ur sion to Mersth a rn, Proc, Gect, Assoc ., vol. xv, P: 113. 1899 Excursion to Betch worth , P roc, Geol. Assoc., '·01. xvi, p. 155.
EXCURSION
TO
SHEFFEY.
SATURDAY, MAY 7TH, 1910.
Directors : T. V. HOLll'iES,F.G.S., ANVW. WHITAKER,F.R.S., F.G.S.
Excursion Secretary : D.
LEIGHTON.
(Report ~1' THE DIRf.CTORS.)
STARTING from Victoria by the 9.45 train a party of nin ete en a rrived a t Leysdown, a t th e far (eastern) end of the Sheppey light railway, in about two hours. A walk .of about two-thirds of a mile alon g the low sh ore showed a beach largely made up of shells, which had been banked up over th e Alluv ium of th e small marsh . The marsh d ay, with a few plant-remains, was seen cro pping out from be nea th the bea ch on its seaward side, and it was explain ed that, were th e tide low, th ere might perhaps be see n beds of a peaty kind , po ssibl y with rem ains of t rees, thi s bein g the posit ion ill which the" submerged forest " oc curs, that is, at places whe re th e sea ha s cut back across the Alluvium of a stream-va lley, such sub me rge d forest being nothing but part of that Alluvium . The higher land was reached at Sheppey Lan dsend o f the Old Ordnance Map (Shee t 3), being th e most eas terly point of th e cliffs. It is unnamed on th e newer map (per hap s the na me has been lost by th e cutti ng bac k of th e land !). Before leaving the sho re attenti on was drawn to the great exte nt to which th e beach had been d riven inl an d, and the loss of foresh ore, since the first six-inch Ordnance Map was made. One of t he Direct ors having this older map and the other the latest on e ena bled the members to make an exac t compar ison between th e state of the coast at the two periods. Th e d ifference was seen to be great. The party proceeded along the top of the cliff, and very so on the continued loss of land was well seen, large falis having
EXCURSION TO SHEPPEY.
lately occurred in and near the little wood at Furze Hill. The church and churchyard of Warden had all gone before the last visit of the Association, in 1898, and here there had been comparatively little loss since. Farther westward, however, a house and buildings, 100 feet or so from the edge of the cliff, had gone, except for a little rough pavement, from which a very fair quem of puddingstone was extracted and carried off. A halt was made at the gully a little beyond. N ear the coast this was seen to be a deep, canon-like gorge, tailing off inland to a shallower hollow with sloping sides. This was noticed as a good example of stream-erosion, there being no other possible origin for it. The sea cannot get at it, there is nothing but the little stream, which, of course, is sometimes torrential in the lowest part of the gorge. As the coast is cut backward, so the end of the little valley is cut down, to base-level; but, of course, as the stream is thus shortened it will have less erosive power. After taking lunch and a short shelter from the marginal effect of a thunderstorm, a descent was made to the shore for the purpose of collecting fossils. Specimens of pyritised wood were abundant, and many good examples of wood riddled with Teredo borings were got, as well as some large examples of Nautilus. It was noticed that some of the London Clay was firm enough to roll into small pebbles and form a beach. There was, however, little in the way of beach, and the walk was one that afforded ample chance of studying the effect of a damp clay surface. Consequentlyat the next deep gully, where the Hen's Brook comes down to the sea, over a mile westward of the first gully, it was thought advisable again to take to the clifftop and to see the oncoming of the Bagshot Sand above the London Clay. Where this permeable bed occurs much water is thrown out at or near the junction with the clay, and the result is that a good deal of the fallen material takes the form of mud-streams, which flow down the undercliff ; but there are also good examples here, as in the simple clay-cliffs, of the way in which masses of land slide down from the cliff-edge, the outer edge tilted up, and the once level grassy surface having an inland slope. A descent was again made, and the walk was continued for a little way along the undercliff and then on the shore, where numbers of the fossil fruit known as Nipadites were found, casts of univalves, and Astropecten, all in pyrites. It looks as if Nipadites belonged to the topmost part of the London Clay and might be taken as a zone-fossil. Again ascending, near Minster, the party walked back along the top of the cliff to East End and then
EXCURSION TO SHEPPEY.
objects of interest therein is the tomb of Sir Robert de Shurland, whose adventures are recounted in The Ingoldsby Legends. The Party returned to Town by the 7.50 train. REFERENCES. Geological Survey Map, Sheets 2, 3. Ordnance Survey Map, new series, Sheets 272, 273, 1872. Mem Geoi. Surv., vol. iv, "Geology of the London Basin." 1875. Excursion to the hie of Sheppey. Proc, Geol. Assoc., vol. iv, p. 320. 188!. Excursion to Sheppey. Proc. Geol, Assoc., vol. vii, p. 149. 1885 and 1888. "The Rate of Erosion of the Coast." Report Brit, Assoc. 1894. RENDLE, A. B. ,. Revision of the Genus NipadittS.' , :Journ. Linn, Soc., Botany, vol. xxx, p. 143. 1898. Excursion to Sheppey. Proc. Geo], Assoc. vol. xv, p. 459. 1910. Geology in the Field. The :Jubi!ee Volume of the Geol. Assoc., p. 240.
The party assembled for tea at "The R ed Lion ," wher e, after the usual yates of th anks, proposed by Mr. W. Whitak er, th ey returned hom e by t he 8.29 train. R EFER EN CES . Geo l. Survey Map, She et 8 (drift). 1884 Excursion t o Mer sth arn, Pr oc. Ctol. Assoc., vol. viii, p. 4 II . 1887 Excursio n t o 1\1erst ha m, Proc, Ctol. /l ssoc., vol. x, p. 154. 1895 E xcursion to Betchwort h , Proc. Gt 'l/. Assoc. , vol. xiv, p . I z4 . !897 E xc ur sion to Mersth a rn, Proc, Gect, Assoc ., vol. xv, P: 113. 1899 Excursion to Betch worth , P roc, Geol. Assoc., '·01. xvi, p. 155.
EXCURSION
TO
SHEFFEY.
SATURDAY, MAY 7TH, 1910.
Directors : T. V. HOLll'iES,F.G.S., ANVW. WHITAKER,F.R.S., F.G.S.
Excursion Secretary : D.
LEIGHTON.
(Report ~1' THE DIRf.CTORS.)
STARTING from Victoria by the 9.45 train a party of nin ete en a rrived a t Leysdown, a t th e far (eastern) end of the Sheppey light railway, in about two hours. A walk .of about two-thirds of a mile alon g the low sh ore showed a beach largely made up of shells, which had been banked up over th e Alluv ium of th e small marsh . The marsh d ay, with a few plant-remains, was seen cro pping out from be nea th the bea ch on its seaward side, and it was explain ed that, were th e tide low, th ere might perhaps be see n beds of a peaty kind , po ssibl y with rem ains of t rees, thi s bein g the posit ion ill which the" submerged forest " oc curs, that is, at places whe re th e sea ha s cut back across the Alluvium of a stream-va lley, such sub me rge d forest being nothing but part of that Alluvium . The higher land was reached at Sheppey Lan dsend o f the Old Ordnance Map (Shee t 3), being th e most eas terly point of th e cliffs. It is unnamed on th e newer map (per hap s the na me has been lost by th e cutti ng bac k of th e land !). Before leaving the sho re attenti on was drawn to the great exte nt to which th e beach had been d riven inl an d, and the loss of foresh ore, since the first six-inch Ordnance Map was made. One of t he Direct ors having this older map and the other the latest on e ena bled the members to make an exac t compar ison between th e state of the coast at the two periods. Th e d ifference was seen to be great. The party proceeded along the top of the cliff, and very so on the continued loss of land was well seen, large falis having
EXCURSION TO SHEPPEY.
lately occurred in and near the little wood at Furze Hill. The church and churchyard of Warden had all gone before the last visit of the Association, in 1898, and here there had been comparatively little loss since. Farther westward, however, a house and buildings, 100 feet or so from the edge of the cliff, had gone, except for a little rough pavement, from which a very fair quem of puddingstone was extracted and carried off. A halt was made at the gully a little beyond. N ear the coast this was seen to be a deep, canon-like gorge, tailing off inland to a shallower hollow with sloping sides. This was noticed as a good example of stream-erosion, there being no other possible origin for it. The sea cannot get at it, there is nothing but the little stream, which, of course, is sometimes torrential in the lowest part of the gorge. As the coast is cut backward, so the end of the little valley is cut down, to base-level; but, of course, as the stream is thus shortened it will have less erosive power. After taking lunch and a short shelter from the marginal effect of a thunderstorm, a descent was made to the shore for the purpose of collecting fossils. Specimens of pyritised wood were abundant, and many good examples of wood riddled with Teredo borings were got, as well as some large examples of Nautilus. It was noticed that some of the London Clay was firm enough to roll into small pebbles and form a beach. There was, however, little in the way of beach, and the walk was one that afforded ample chance of studying the effect of a damp clay surface. Consequentlyat the next deep gully, where the Hen's Brook comes down to the sea, over a mile westward of the first gully, it was thought advisable again to take to the clifftop and to see the oncoming of the Bagshot Sand above the London Clay. Where this permeable bed occurs much water is thrown out at or near the junction with the clay, and the result is that a good deal of the fallen material takes the form of mud-streams, which flow down the undercliff ; but there are also good examples here, as in the simple clay-cliffs, of the way in which masses of land slide down from the cliff-edge, the outer edge tilted up, and the once level grassy surface having an inland slope. A descent was again made, and the walk was continued for a little way along the undercliff and then on the shore, where numbers of the fossil fruit known as Nipadites were found, casts of univalves, and Astropecten, all in pyrites. It looks as if Nipadites belonged to the topmost part of the London Clay and might be taken as a zone-fossil. Again ascending, near Minster, the party walked back along the top of the cliff to East End and then
EXCURSION TO SHEPPEY.
objects of interest therein is the tomb of Sir Robert de Shurland, whose adventures are recounted in The Ingoldsby Legends. The Party returned to Town by the 7.50 train. REFERENCES. Geological Survey Map, Sheets 2, 3. Ordnance Survey Map, new series, Sheets 272, 273, 1872. Mem Geoi. Surv., vol. iv, "Geology of the London Basin." 1875. Excursion to the hie of Sheppey. Proc, Geol. Assoc., vol. iv, p. 320. 188!. Excursion to Sheppey. Proc. Geol, Assoc., vol. vii, p. 149. 1885 and 1888. "The Rate of Erosion of the Coast." Report Brit, Assoc. 1894. RENDLE, A. B. ,. Revision of the Genus NipadittS.' , :Journ. Linn, Soc., Botany, vol. xxx, p. 143. 1898. Excursion to Sheppey. Proc. Geo], Assoc. vol. xv, p. 459. 1910. Geology in the Field. The :Jubi!ee Volume of the Geol. Assoc., p. 240.