Marine Beds in the Coal Measures near Doncaster
H. Culpin, Doncaster.
A sinking for coal at Brodsworth, about 4 miles north-west of Doncaster, has given an excellent opportunity for the search for the marine beds referred to in Mr, Walcot Gibson’s paper in the ’Naturalist’ for April, 1906. pp. 112-2.
Four such beds have been found, of which the top one, some 100 feet below the Ackworth rock, is probably the same as that mentioned by Mr. Gibson in his allusion to ‘Green’s note of the presence of Aviculopecten (Pterinopecten) and Goniatites below the Ackworth rock.’
As exposed at Brodsworth, this bed yielded goniatites of which one was a well preserved Glyphioceras sp., showing the suture lines, Lingula mytiloides, Pterinopecten papyraceus, Posidoniella laevis and Nuculana acuta. In it were also fish remains and a few plants.
The most important bed of the series occurred at 705 feet above the Barnsley coal, and 219 feet above the Melton Field coal. If consisted at the top of blue shales with fucoid markings, and with a soapy feel to the touch. Similar shales then followed with large numbers of Lingula, below which came harder shales of a greyish blue colour full of pectens, goniatites etc. At the base was a hard limestone band.
The whole of this bed is so markedly different, both to the eye and to the touch, as also its contents, from the usual measures, that it should form a good datum line in future borings and sinkings.
The fossils found in it included Chonetes laguessiana mut. 0., Orbiculoidea nitida, Lingula mytiloides, Syncylonema carboniferum, Pterinopecten papyraceus, Ctenodonta laevirostris, Posidoniella sulcata, Myalina compressa, Nucula aequalis, Nuculana acuta, Euphemus sp., Pleuronautilus costatus, Glyphioceras micronotum, Glyphioceras reticulatum (?) , Dimorphoceras Gilbertsoni, Orthoceras asciculare, Orthoceras Steinhaueri, Acanthodes , Elonichthys Egertoni, Megalichthys Hibberti, and Rhizodopsis sauroides.
There was a further bed at 100 feet below the Melton Field coal, and 382 feet above the Barnsley coal, but the only shells found in it were Pterinopecten and Lingula mytiloides, some of the latter being remarkably small, and others remarkably large. Fish fragments were plentiful, and included Acanthodes Wardi, Pleuroplax Rankinei, Caelacanthus elegans, Rhadinichthys monensis, and Rhizodopis sauroides.
The fourth bed occurred at 111 feet above the Barnsley coal. It contained Lingula mytiloides. There were also fragments of fish, including a scale which was probably Rhizodopsis sauroides. In close proximity to this bed there were found Spirorbis Carbonicola var. aquilina, and Naiadites modiolaris.
The fossils have been submitted to, and named by Dr. Wheelton Hind, Dr. A. Smith Woodward, and Mr. R. Kidston. Thanks are due to them for the trouble taken, as also to Mr. Walcot Gibson for guidance and assistance in the work, and to the Brodsworth Colliery authorities for the facilities given in examining the ground passed through.
The Naturalist, 1908, February 1.