RECORD: Darwin, C. R. [1831.07?]. [Early geological notes near Shrewsbury]. CUL-DAR5.B1-B4. Edited by John van Wyhe (Darwin Online, http://darwin-online.org.uk/)

REVISION HISTORY: Transcribed by Christine Chua and edited by John van Wyhe 8.2020, 9.2020. Annotations by Gordon Chancellor. With thanks to Gordon Chancellor and Michael Roberts. RN2

NOTE: See record in the Darwin Online manuscript catalogue, enter its Identifier here. Reproduced with the permission of the Syndics of Cambridge University Library and William Huxley Darwin.

See Michael B. Roberts, 1996. Darwin at Llanymynech: the evolution of a geologist. British Journal for the History of Science, v. 29, pp. 469-478.


1

[not in Darwin's hand:]

Early Geological Notes.                                              folio

Early geological notes near Shrewsbury (C4).                 1

Geological notes probably tour with Sedgwick (C5).         5

Notes on Aluvium, Shropshire. (C8).                             17

Geological notes on Salisbury Craigs (C11).          33

Original notes for glacier paper (C15 vis).                      39-97 

2

Llanymynech 16 miles NE of Shrewsbury; to the north of the village about 1/2 of mile in an extensive quarry of Limestone.

On the road to it passed over a hillock of a soft slaty rock. Some of the Strata were crumbling away by exposure to the air.

Strata very distinctly defined inclined at 78º. Direction ESE & WNW

[After the 1831 tour Darwin used 'strike' instead of 'direction']

The quarry is worked in the escarpment of a range of Carboniferous Limestone facing [South] W. On the Eastern side & high in this hill where the stratification is better marked the rock more compact & of a redder colour the general D is NE [by] N 14º.

SW by S

To the Westward & lower down D of strata,

[D means Dip]

3

is more NW & then angle less. In centre there of quarry are several great cracks passing straight through the rock now filled with clay. To this line the strata on each side are inclined on each side from W. 10º & from E. 15º.

It gives to the strata the appearance of curves. The stratification of the whole Western side appears to be less regular than that of the East. At one place I observed a series of strata having D E N E 10º. –

The lowest strata of Limestone that are worked consist of rocks of a softer texture. marked in patches by a brightish red called by the Workmen "bloody veined" Beneath there

4

is the Delve consisting of a very argillaceous Limestone, soft & wasting away on exposure to the air it is not worth being burnt for Lime. – The Workmen have never gone beneath this.

5

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6

Trap.

a red one in which crystals of Feldspar Hornbl very visible.

Green one in which Feldspar is decomposing

pale one

Green rock do approach sandstone

Clay slate with mica scales

Do with organic remains genus allied to Pecten

2 largest blocks  granite & close grained Limestone

Manganese

in air calcareous cement

[Trap is an obsolete term for fine-grained lava.]

7

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8

a Fine grained white hard sandstone

a coarse red one approaching to conglomerate

Quartz white

red sandstone

a pale and red Limestone

a very dark close grained impure Limestone

Serpentine

a red large grained granite

do grey fine grained do

9

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Citation: John van Wyhe, ed. 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online. (http://darwin-online.org.uk/)

File last updated 17 November, 2022