The Natural History of ClaySearle, Alfred B. (Alfred Broadhead)
Science
The Natural History of Clay
Searle, Alfred B. (Alfred Broadhead)
Clay
The '_Wealden clay_' is a stiff yellowish grey or blue clay extensively
used for brickmaking in Kent, Sussex and Surrey. It has been subdivided
by geologists into a number of other clays, such as the Wadhurst,
Fairlight, etc., but the differences between them lie more in the
fossils occurring in them than in the characters of the clays
themselves. They are usually contaminated with ironstone, gypsum and
some limestone.
Agriculturally, the Wealden clay produces stiff, yellowish soils of a
wet and poor character, but sometimes loams of a highly productive
nature occur.
The =Tertiary clays= include all those deposited after the Chalk and
previous to the close of the Glacial period. They are usually mixed with
sand and gravel, and though the deposits are often thin and irregular
they are the most generally important of all clays. They vary greatly in
character; some, like the London clay, being almost useless unless mixed
with other materials, whilst others like the ball clays of Devonshire
and Dorset are amongst the purest and most valuable of the plastic
clays. The Tertiary clays are divided by geologists into Pliocene,
Miocene and Eocene formations; of these the first are commercially
unimportant and the second do not exist in Great Britain. At one time
the Bovey Tracey clays were considered to be Miocene, but they have
recently been classed as Oligocene by Clement Reid.
Agriculturally, the most important of the Tertiary formations is the
Eocene, particularly near London, though it is much covered by sand or
gravel. The _London clay_, which produces a heavy brown soil, is of
slight value, though when properly drained it produces good crops of
wheat, beans, and cabbages and other market-garden produce. For this
purpose it is greatly improved by the addition of lime and of town
manure. The South Hampshire Eocene beds of clay are cold, wet and of
small agricultural value.
The Eocene clays are composed of a variety of clays, many of which are
only distinguishable by the different fossils they contain. The most
important are the Reading clays, the London clay and the Bagshot clays.
The _Reading clays_ extend over a considerable area in the South of
England and are most valuable near the town from which they derive their
name. The best qualities are mottled in a characteristic manner and are
particularly suitable for the manufacture of roofing tiles and small
terra-cotta--an industry for which Reading is famous.
The _London clay_ is always a treacherous material and is best avoided
in the manufacture of bricks and other articles except under highly
skilled technical advice.
The _Bagshot clays_ in Dorsetshire are famous for the ball and pipe
clays shipped from Poole, whilst at Bovey Tracey and in several parts of
Devonshire equally valuable ball clays are found and are shipped from
Teignmouth.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account