A Manual of Elementary Geology: or, The Ancient Changes of the Earth and its Inhabitants as Illustrated by Geological MonumentsLyell, Charles, Sir
Science
A Manual of Elementary Geology: or, The Ancient Changes of the Earth and its Inhabitants as Illustrated by Geological Monuments
Lyell, Charles, Sir
Geology
But there are other deep hollows of a cylindrical form found in England,
France, and elsewhere, penetrating the white chalk, and filled with sand
and gravel, which are not so readily explained. They are sometimes called
"sand-pipes," or "sand-galls," and "puits naturels," in France. Those
represented in the annexed cut were observed by me in 1839, laid open in a
large chalk-pit near Norwich. They were of very symmetrical form, the
largest more than 12 feet in diameter, and some of them had been traced, by
boring, to the depth of more than 60 feet. The smaller ones varied from a
few inches to a foot in diameter, and seldom descended more than 12 feet
below the surface. Even where three of them occurred, as at _a_, fig. 101.,
very close together, the parting walls of soft white chalk were not broken
through. They all taper downwards and end in a point. As a general rule,
sand and pebbles occupy the central parts of each pipe, while the sides and
bottom are lined with clay.
Mr. Trimmer, in speaking of appearances of the same kind in the Kentish
chalk, attributes the origin of such "sand-galls" to the action of the sea
on a beach or shoal, where the waves, charged with shingle and sand, not
only wear out longitudinal furrows, such as may be observed on the surface
of the chalk near Norwich when the incumbent gravel is removed, but also
drill deep circular hollows by the rotatory motion imparted to sand and
pebbles. Such furrows, as well as vertical cavities, are now formed, he
observes, on the coast where the shores are composed of chalk.[82-A]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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