|
A series of rock-samples has been obtained from the bed of the English Channel within an area of about five hundred square miles about halfway between the Isle of Wight and Cherbourg. In the north of this area Kimeridge Clay has been proved; farther south, Chalk surrounds an elongated outlier of Lower Tertiary beds, which include representatives of the Reading Beds, London Clay, and Bracklesham Beds. Analysis of the microfaunas of the Cretaceous samples reveals the presence of beds of Santonian, Campanian, and Maestrichtian age. The microfauna of the Bracklesham Beds contains indigenous and derived elements. The indigenous fauna compares most closely with that of the Sables de Cuise. The sources of the derived fauna are of Campanian, Maestrichtian, and Danian ages.
