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R N. p 22, 23

Any person merely looking at secondary a supermedial formation Geolog Map of England would believe that the different formations had successively silted up an ocean so that the margins successively cropped out towards the old coast lines. – If he knew the stratification he would be confined in this view. – But considering enormous thickness of aggregate beds & that some of the lowest are highly fossiliferous, we cannot believe that these animals lived in a sea the depth of which was equal to present thickness. (Mem especially Coral beds in the Oolites). Miners here will frequently find a modern bed overlying in parts of the older series instead of the next inferior member. The only way I can reconcile these oscillation in elevation, upheaval & subsidence, acting with remarkable equally over whole England – Thus Singapore Red Sandstone deposited (or depositing) & the land

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to rise we should have a land of elevated Red Sandstone & shoal oceans bottom so covered vide in [illeg]

Deposit that Lias, whilst land subsiding, but not to such a degree as the immense whole of the elevated Red Sandstone in these Lias would pass insensibly into the parts which had been elevated. – Raise the land, as before there would be strip of Lias & [illeg] bottom as before. – Deposit that Oolites when subsiding, & again as before not to such a degree as to submerge whole of Lias – yet parts of Oolite might cap [illeg] Sandstone. –

&c &c – All that is wanted in alternate movement is that after each oscillation, that of elevation should rather be in excess. – Tendency would be that the Red Sandstone should be the highest of all the more modern ones, & so it must have been at time of deposition of the latter, [insertion:] Mem: Western Escarpments: ground valley of Severn Discussion

although now the level may be altered.

– at Chalk period, perhaps greatest subsidence (shown by the capping of various beds) & greatest elevation (shown by quantity of matter in Tertiary formation)

Even tertiary formation still occupy an Eastern position after great break of Chalk. ? When subsidence are necessary in these forms, from depth of strata incumbent on shells I know not? – Whole raised. – How is present drainage?

I may remark this conclusion appears inevitable, if we allow depth of animal remains live to be valid argument, & considering parallel bands – a succession of subsidence alone would form the mass & elevation & the grand horizontal section might produce appearance but then strata all greatly inclined so as to bring up the lowest beds – NB. When the elevated long band sinks, the width of part covered by next formation will be little as compared to whole extent for we may suppose original inclination of strata deposited near coast somewhat considerable.

In Second form: are there pebbles of do forms within strata – Mem: case of plants growing vertically on surface of some strata in England – Nature of such pebbles.

[sketch]

With these views how wonderful if average levels of each formation is at all equal, which Daubeny would seem to state. P. 402. V. my Note Book.