THE

WONDERS OF GEOLOGY;

OR,

A FAMILIAR EXPOSITION

OF

GEOLOGICAL PHENOMENA ;

BEING THE SUBSTANCE OF A COURSE OF LECTURES DELIVERED AT BRIGHTON.

BY

GIDEON ALGERNON MANTELL, LL.D. F.R.S.

FELLOW OF THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS;

AND OF THE LINNEAN AND GEOLOGICAL SOCIETIES OF LONDON AND CORNWALL; HONORARY MEMBER OF THE PHILOMATHIC SOCIETY OF PARIS;

OF THE ACADEMIES OF NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA; AND OF ARTS AND
SCIENCES OF CONNECTICUT; OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF PENNSYLVANIA;
OF THE PHILOSOPHICAL INSTITUTION OF BOSTON;

OF THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF QUEBEC; AND OF THE PHILOSOPHICAL
SOCIETIES OF YORK, NEWCASTLE, ETC.

"Horum contemplatio multiplicem habet usum. Sunt instar nummorum memorialium, quæ de preteritis globi nostri fatis testantur, ubi omnia silent monumenta historica."-BERGMAN, Med, de Syst. Foss.

IN TWO VOLUMES.

VOL. II.

FOURTH EDITION.

LONDON:-RELFE AND FLETCHER, 17, CORNHILL.

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

VOL. II.

LECTURE V.

1. The zoological character of the chalk.

2. Zoological character of the

wealden. 3. Site of the country of the iguanodon. 4. Medial secon-

dary formations. 5. The oolite, or Jura limestone. 6. Tabular view

of the oolite and lias. 7. Geographical distribution of the oolite and

lias. 8. Stonesfield slate. 9. Organic remains of the Stonesfield

slate. 10. Fossil opossum of Stonesfield. 11. Wealden and Stones-

field fossils. 12. Lithographic slates of Pappenheim, Solenhofen,

and Monheim. 13. Coal of the oolite. 14. Geographical distribution

of the lias. 15. Organic remains of the oolite and lias. 16. State of

fossilization. 17. Saliferous, or new red sandstone system. 18. Tabular

view of the saliferous system. 19. Geographical distribution of the

saliferous strata. 20. Cheltenham waters. 21. Rock-salt and brine-

springs. 22. Magnesian limestone, or zechstein. 23. Conglomerates

of the new red sandstone. 24. Organic remains of the saliferous

strata. 25. The spiriferæ of the new red sandstone. 26. Impressions

of the feet of animals on sandstone. 27. Reptiles. 28. Turtles.

29. Fossil turtles. 30. Crocodiles. 31. The ichthyosaurus. 32. The

plesiosaurus. 33. Pterodactyles, or flying reptiles. 34. Fossil sala-

mander. 35. Fossil reptiles allied to the lizards. 36. Review of the

Age of reptiles. 37. Objections considered. 38. Concluding re-

marks

LECTURE VI.

1. Introductory remarks. 2. Organic and inorganic kingdoms. 3. Dis-

tinctive characters of animals and vegetables. 4. Nervous system,

and sensation. 5. Diversity of animal forms. 6. Ellis's discoveries.

7. Nature of sponge. 8. Cilia, or vibratile organs. 9. The hydra, or

fresh-water polype. 10. Zoophytal organization. 11. The food of

zoophytes. 12. Mode of increase and death. 13. Corals, or skeletons

of zoophytes. 14. Diversity of form and structure. 15. Geographical

distribution of the polyparia. 16. The flustra, or sea-mat. 17. The

vesicular corallines, or sertulariæ. 18. The gorgonia, or sea-fan.

19. The red coral. 20. The tubipora, or organ-pipe coral. 21. Ma-

drepores. 22. The actinia, or sea-anemone. 23. Caryophyllia and

turbinolia. 24. Fungia. 25. Astrea, pavonia, &c. 26. Meandrina

cerebriformis, or brain-coral. 27. Appearance of the living corals.

28. Coral reefs. 29. Coral reef of Loo Choo. 30. Coral islands. 31.

Fossil zoophytes. 32. Zoophytes of the chalk. 33. Zoophytes of the

Shanklin sand. 34. Recent formation of chalk from corals. 35. Fossil

infusoria. 36. Corals of the oolite and lias. 37. Corals of the older

secondary formations. 38. Coralline marbles. 39. The crinoidea, or

lily-shaped animals. 40. Encrinites and pentacrinites. 41. Struc-

ture of the crinoidea. 42. The lily encrinite. 43. Pear encrinite of

Bradford. 44. Pentacrinites, actinocrinites, and other crinoidea. 45.

Derbyshire encrinital marble. 46. Geological distribution of the cri-

noidea. 47. Concluding remarks

p. 505

LECTURE VII.

1. Introductory remarks. 2. The carboniferous system. 3. The coal

measures. 4. Coal-field of Derbyshire, 5. Coalbrook dale. 6. Coal-

shales, and vegetable remains. 7. Carboniferous, or mountain lime-

stone. 8. Derbyshire lead mines. 9. Carboniferous system of

Devonshire. 10. The Devonian system, or old red sandstone. 11.

Geographical distribution of the carboniferous system. 12. Volcanic

rocks of the carboniferous system. 13. Trap-dikes of the carboni-

ferous system. 14. Organic remains of the carboniferous system.

15. Organization of vegetables. 16. Coniferous trees. 17. Climate

and seasons, indicated by fossil wood. 18. Vertical trees in carboni-

ferous strata. 19. Trunks of coniferæ in Craigleith quarry. 20.

Microscopic examination of fossil trees. 21. Nature of coal. 22.

Mineral oil, naphtha, and petroleum. 23. Bitumen, amber, and

mellite. 24. The diamond. 25. Anthracite, cannel coal, and plum-

bago, or graphite. 26. Nature of petrifaction. 27. Artificial pe-

trifactions. 28. Different states of the fossilization of wood. 29.

Hazel-nuts filled with spar. 30. Silicification, or petrifaction by silex.

31. Plants in agates, &c. 32. Plants of the coal formation. 33. Fossil

mare's-tail, or equisetum. 34. Fossil ferns. 35. Sigillariæ, or fossil

arborescent ferns. 36. Lepidodendron. 37. Fossil club-moss, or

lycopodites. 38. Stigmaria. 39. Seed-vessels in coal. 40. Coniferæ.

41. Review of the carboniferous flora. 42. Formation of new coal-

measures. 43. Corals and crinoidea of the carboniferous system.

44. Shells of the carboniferous system. 45. Crustacea. 46. The

limulus, or king-crab. 47. Trilobites. 48. The eyes of the trilobite.

49. Insects of the coal formation. 50. Fishes of the carboniferous

and Devonian systems. 51. Retrospect-the flora of the ancient

world

LECTURE VIII.

1. Introductory remarks. 2. Silurian and Cambrian systems. 3. Silurian
system. 4. Cambrian, or slate system. 5. Structure of slate rocks.
6. Organic remains of the Silurian and Cambrian systems. 7. Meta-
morphic character of slate and greywacké. 8. Metamorphic or primary
rocks. 9. Mica-schist and gneiss. 10. Unstratified metamorphic
rocks-granite. 11. Volcanic agency. 12. Vesuvius. 13. Eruptions
of Vesuvius. 14. Volcanic products of Vesuvius. 15. Mount Etna.
16. Phlegrean fields, and the Lipari isles. 17. Volcano of Kirauea-
Hawaii. 18. Stewart's visit to Kirauea. 19. Earthquakes. 20. Vol-
canic island in the Mediterranean. 21. Volcano of Jorullo, in Mexico.
22. Organic remains buried beneath lava. 23. Ice preserved by
incandescent lava. 24. Herculaneum and Pompeii. 25. Professor
Silliman on geological evidence. 26. Basalt or trap. 27. Staffa-
Fingal's cave. 28. The Giant's Causeway. 29. Rocks altered by con-
tact with basalt. 30. Trap dikes and veins. 31. Strata altered by
contact with metamorphic rocks. 32. Granite veins. 33. Metamorphic
rocks. 34. Metalliferous veins. 35. Copper ore of New Brunswick.
36. The sapphire, ruby, and emerald. 37. Review of the Silurian
and Cambrian systems. 38. Review of the metamorphic rocks. 39.
Organic remains (?) in the metamorphic rocks. 40. Relative age of
mountains. 41. Successive changes in the organic kingdoms. 42.
Successive development of the organic kingdoms. 43. Geological
effects of mechanical and chemical action. 44. Rocks composed of
organic remains. 45. General inferences. 46. Final causes. 47.
Geological theory of Leibnitz. 48. Astronomical relations of the solar
system. 49. Concluding remarks