Glasgow Society Research Articles

Excursions for Season 1908

To Kelvingrove Museum, on Saturday, 21st March—Mr. Peter Macnair, F.R.S.E., F.G.S., conductor. The party examined some of the recent additions to the geological collections, specially the new models, illustrating the geology of the Clyde Valley. To Calderwood Glen, Lanarkshire, on Saturday, 4th April—Mr. A. Macintyre, F.S.A.A., conductor. The strata exposed in the bed of the Calder include the cementstone (Calderwood series), black shales, clay-band, ironstone, sandstones, and limestones. The shale between the limestone is highly fossiliferous. To Brodick Arran, on Monday, 20th April (the Spring Holiday)—Mr. James W. Reoch, conductor. This was a joint excursion with the Natural History Society of Glasgow. The objects of the excursion were to examine the shore section from Invercloy to Clauchlands Point, and the intrusive rocks of the Clauchland Hills. The rocks exposed along the shore are red sandstones and conglomerates of the Lower Triassic age, much faulted,, and intersected by numerous dykes, and invaded by sills of felsite and pitchstone, including the well-known Corrygills pitchstone. Many ice-borne boulders of granite are strewed on the shore, of which the famous Corrygills boulder is estimated at over 200 tons weight. At Clauchlands Point the basic sill of the Clauchland Hills runs out to sea. The ridge of the hills was followed via Dun Fionn and Dun Dubh, and the return made thence to Brodick. Many of the broader geological features of the island were viewed from Dun Fionn. To Motherwell, Lanarkshire, on Saturday, 2nd May—Mr. Robert W. Dron, C.E., conductor. This was a joint excursion This 250-word extract was created in the absence of an abstract

Constitution of the Society

I.—NAME. The Society shall be called “The Geological Society of Glasgow.” II.—OBJECTS. The objects of the Society shall be— 1. To unite, in permanent working association, the students and friends of Geological Science in Glasgow and surrounding districts. 2. The advancement of that science, by means of periodical Meetings for its study; the reading and discussion of Papers on subjects illustrative of Geology or its allied Sciences; the exhibition and description of specimens; the delivery of Lectures; and by Excursions. 3. The formation of a Library chiefly relating to Geology, Palæontology, Petrography, and Mineralogy. 4. The publication of the Society's Transactions and Proceedings . II.—OBJECTS. III.—MEMBERS. The Society shall consist of Ordinary, Associate, Honorary, Honorary Associate, and Corresponding Members. IV.—ORDINARY AND ASSOCIATE MEMBERS. All candidates for Membership shall be proposed on the recommendation of two Members, at one Meeting, and their election put to the vote from the chair at the following Meeting, whether Ordinary or Special, provided their names shall have been announced in the Circular calling the said Meeting. If not unanimous, the vote shall be taken by ballot. The Annual Subscription shall be—for Ordinary Members—Gentlemen, 10s., and Ladies, 7s. 6d., payable upon election, and thereafter at the first Ordinary Meeting of each Session in October. A single payment of Five Guineas shall entitle any Member elected as aforesaid to be entered as a Life Member. Students attending Geological Classes shall be eligible for admission as Associate Members This 250-word extract was created in the absence of an abstract

Proceedings for Session 1904-1905

Society's Rooms, 207 Bath Street, 20th October, 1904. Dr. R. H. Traquair, F.R.S., Vice-President , in the Chair. The first ordinary meeting of the 47th session of the Geological Society of Glasgow was held here this evening. Mr. William Jolly, F.G.S., having been previously proposed by the Council, was unanimously elected an Honorary Member of the Society. Mr. James Stark then took the Chair, and Dr. Traquair gave a lantern demonstration on the “Fish-fauna of the Upper Old Red Sandstone.” At the outset he gave a description of the geological structure of the Upper Old Red Sandstone area of the Moray Firth, and then passed to a consideration of the general classification of the Old Red Sandstone Rocks of Scotland. He pointed out that, about two years ago, a reversion had finally been made to the classification of these rocks propounded many years ago by Sir R. Murchison, namely, Lower, Middle, and Upper Old Red Sandstone. For many years, and in entire disregard of the most striking palæontological evidence, the Orcadian and Caledonian Rocks had been referred to the same period in time, but it was now clearly shown that they belonged to two distinct periods, of which the Orcadian was the younger and the Caledonian the older. Dr. Traquair then passed on to review the different fish forms found in the Upper Old Red Sandstone of the Moray Firth, including the different species of the following genera:— Asterolepis , Holoptychius , Polyplocodus , Coccosteus , Psammosteus , Bothriolepis , and Phyllolepis . The distribution and zonal values of This 250-word extract was created in the absence of an abstract

Proceedings for Session 1903-1904

Society's Rooms, 207 Bath Street, 15th October, 1903. Mr. Robert Kidston, F.R.S., Vice-President , in the Chair. The first meeting of the 46th session of the Geological Society of Glasgow was held here this evening, Mr. Robert Kidston, F.R.S., F.G.S., Vice-President, in the Chair, when the minutes of the previous meeting (28th May) were read and approved. Mr. R. W. Dron, C.E., M.E., exhibited specimens of Altered Coal from the colliery situated on the banks of the Clyde near Hamilton. The coal has an appearance as if it had been burnt by the presence of “whin,” and is known by the miners as “burnt coal.” There is, however, no “whin” associated with the adjoining strata, and the coal seams have not been affected by the agency. An analysis shows that the coal contains from 35% to 40% of ash, which is highly calcareous, and indicates that the coal itself has about 20% of lime. Mr. John Wallace read “Some Notes on Recent Excavations in Glasgow.” [See Transactions , vol. xii., p. 220.] Mr. John Wallace read secondly a paper entitled “Notes on the Spheroidal Weathering of the Trap Dyke near Bishopbriggs, about 1½ miles to the N.-E.” After describing the appearances of this dyke and its curious spheroidal decomposition, Mr. Wallace gave at some length his theories as to the cause of the latter, and attributed it to the action of gaseous vapours which formed little whirlpools, so to speak, in the molten mass when it was in a sufficiently fluid condition This 250-word extract was created in the absence of an abstract

Radio-active Gas in Mineral Springs

IN a letter to NATURE of August 13, 1903, it was announced that experiments carried out at the Blythswood Laboratory had shown the presence of a radio-active constituent in the gases derived from the mineral waters of Bath. An account of our further investigations has been given in a paper read before the Royal Philosophical Society of Glasgow, November 18, 1903. Samples of water from the Buxton springs have been tested with results exactly similar in character to those given by Bath waters. In both cases the ionisation-current through the gas obtained from the water increased to a maximum in about one hour from the commencement of an experiment, and then diminished to the normal value. In a note added to this paper, December 15, 1903, an experiment is described similar to one carried out by Mr. E. P. Adams (Phil. Mag., vol. vi. p. 563, 1903). A current of air was drawn through a very dilute solution of a radium salt, and then through a Winchester quart containing distilled water. The air current was continued for two hours. The distilled water after this treatment was tested in exactly the same manner as the Bath water, “the results being in all respects similar.… It is therefore probable that the radio-activity of these (mineral) waters is due to the presence of radium near their source.”

The Royal Philosophical Society of Glasgow

NOT many scientific societies of the kingdom can boast of having existed for a hundred years, but the Royal Society of Edinburgh a few years ago celebrated its centenary, and last week what is now known as the Royal Philosophical Society of Glasgow was engaged in celebrating the attainment of its hundredth year, for it came into being on November 9,1802, with sixty-two of the most prominent men in the city as members, many of whom have since acquired prosperity and reputation. There was Dr. William Meikleham, the professor of astronomy and natural philosophy in the University, and who was Lord Kelvin's predecessor in the natural philosophy chair, so that those two men practically covered the century between them. There was also Dr. George Birkbeck, subsequently a professor in the “Andersonian,” and the founder (in London) of mechanics' institutions. Patrick Cumin, another foundation member, was the professor of Oriental languages. A particularly notable man in the membership was David Mushet, the discoverer of the famous black band ironstone which did so much to make Scotland the leading element in the creation of the iron industry. Among other original members were Charles Macintosh, who originated the “macintosh” as an article of clothing for wet weather; Mr. John Roberton, a famous iron-founder, who read many papers in subsequent years; and Mr. William Dunn, of Duntocher, a well-known machine-maker. Mr. James Boaz was an ac-c ountant; he took a warm interest in the Society, and became secretary in the year 1804, remaining in that office to the great credit of the Society for twenty-six years. Sundry other original members might be named and descanted upon, men from the very highest ranks, and who collectively made Glasgow or contributed very materially towards it, but we must refrain from doing so. Worthy John Geddes, of Verreville, glass manufacturer and potter, was an early member, and he was the second president. The Society did not publish any Proceedings or Transactions until the year 1844, after Dr. Thomas Thomson, F.R.S., had become president. That gentleman was the famous professor of chemistry in the University, and his knowledge was frequently called forth during the eighteen years that he held the office of president. Mr. Walter Crum, F.R.S., famous as a scientific calico printer, succeeded I)t. Thomson in the chair, and then there was a somewhat continuous run of University presidents, such as Dr. Allen Thomson, F.R.S., Prof. Wm. Thomson, F.R.S. (now Lord Kelvin), Prof. Thomas Anderson (distinguished as a chemist), Prof. W. J. Macquorn Rankine, C.E., F.R.S., and Prof. Henry D. Rogers (American geologist). After he had been knighted, the professor of natural philosophy was again made president for the years 1874-75-76-77. The Society was always in a position to command the services of able and learned men to take the presidential chair, and business men have always been in abundance to fill the executive offices and to discharge the duties pertaining to them for periods extending from six years (in the case of Prof. McKendrick as secretary) to upwards of thirty years, as in the case of Mr, John Mann, the present treasurer.

The Foyaite-Ijolite Series of Magnet Cove: A Chemical Study in Differentiation

Previous articleNext article FreeThe Foyaite-Ijolite Series of Magnet Cove: A Chemical Study in DifferentiationHenry S. WashingtonHenry S. Washington Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The Journal of Geology Volume 9, Number 7Oct. - Nov., 1901 Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/620954 Views: 58Total views on this site Citations: 3Citations are reported from Crossref PDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:D. W. Matthews, A. R. Woolley Layered ultramafic rocks within the Borralan Complex, Scotland, Scottish Journal of Geology 13, no.33 (Jun 2022): 223–236.https://doi.org/10.1144/sjg13030223Federico Lucchini, Lauro Morten An example of flow differentiation: clinopyroxenite of the Predazzo igneous complex (north Italy), Lithos 10, no.11 (Jan 1977): 39–47.https://doi.org/10.1016/0024-4937(77)90029-9E. M. Patterson I.— The Teschenite-Picrite Sill of Saltcoats, Ayrshire, Transactions of the Geological Society of Glasgow 21, no.11 (Jun 2022): 1–28.https://doi.org/10.1144/transglas.21.1.1

Descriptive Part

The drift or glacial deposits of Ayrshire extend from below sea-level to at least 1750 feet above it. In treating of them in the following pages I shall begin with the lowest level at which they are known to occur, and trace them step by step up to their highest altitude, contrasting the different beds at their various levels or contour-lines. I may say that the heights refer to the top of the sections, and are estimated from the contours and bench-marks of the Ordnance Survey. The heights of the scaurs are in many cases estimated or partly so. 1. 42 feet below sea-level. When the Misk pit, near Stevenston, was being sunk, I took notes of the strata passed through, and made a collection of the fossils from the Post-tertiary beds (see Paper by Dr. David Robertson, in the Transactions of the Geological Society of Glasgow , vol. v., page 297). The section was as follows:— The number of marine fossils got in beds 4 to 7 reached 136 species, several, such as Pecten Islandicus, Astarte compressa , and Tellina calcarea , being Arctic forms. The boulders and stones in beds 4 to 6 were often scratched and considerably covered with Melobesia, Polyzoa, Spirorbis , and Serpula . Several chalk-flints were found. In beds 8 and 9 no fossils were detected, but no examination was made for minute forms. I am much inclined to place 4 to 9 as having been deposited about the beginning of the glacial period. A number This 250-word extract was created in the absence of an abstract

Mr. John Cordeaux

BY the death of Mr. John Cordeaux, ornithology loses, not only one of its most ardent votaries, but one who had pursued, if he did not strike out for himself, a line very different from that taken by most British lovers of birds. For nearly six-and-thirty years, as shown by a long series of contributions, chiefly to The Zoologist, he applied himself to the study of the phenomena of bird-migration, at first as exhibited on the coasts of Lincolnshire (in which county he lived) and Yorkshire. This led him in the autumn of 1874 to go to Heligoland for the sake of comparing notes with the now well-known Herr Gätke, whom, it is believed, he was the first British ornithologist to visit; and he soon after wrote for The Ibis (1875, pp. 172-188) a notice of the very wonderful collection formed by that naturalist on that island. In 1879 he joined Mr. Harvie-Brown (who had just communicated a remarkable paper to the Natural History Society of Glasgow) in a successful attempt to procure observations on migrating birds from the keepers of lighthouses and lightships on the coasts of England and Scotland; and in the following year, when the results of their inquiry were brought before the British Association at the Swansea meeting, he was named secretary of a committee appointed to continue systematically the scheme which they had shown to be practicable. Of this committee, which (with a slight variation of title) has since been annually reappointed, he has always been the hardworking secretary, and it is not too much to say that nearly all its success is mainly due to him. He not only arranged with the authorities for the distribution of the schedules, instructions, and other information necessary for the observers, but, by his own efforts, raised by subscription a large sum of money to meet the expenses of the inquiry, which proved to be far greater than had originally been anticipated. The time and trouble which all this involved were at first enormous; and, even to the last, the correspondence which he had to carry on was immense, yet his services were as willingly rendered as though he had been handsomely paid for them, instead of giving them gratuitously, and the way in which he contrived to interest the men at the lighthouses and lightships in the undertaking was marvellous. The results of this labour, continued without intermission for nine years, were partly shown by the admirable “Digest of the Observations,” made by Mr. W. Eagle Clarke, which the committee was able to include in its report presented to the Association at Liverpool in 1896; and, as has been announced, that gentleman is still occupied in working out further details from the mass of materials that has been collected.

V. On the Genus Phillipsastræa

In a presidential address to the Biological Section of the Philosophical Society of Glasgow “On the Development and Generic Relations of the Corals of the Carboniferous System,”* I briefly referred to Phillipsastræa of d'Orbigny, 1849, along with other genera. Since then Dr. Schäfer † has criticised the deductions of Messrs. Milne Edwards and J. Haime and others as to the relationships of Phillipsastræa and Smithia , E. and H. He refers to the conical boss and other structural details frequently met with in the calices of the former genus, and to my diagnosis of the structural characters found in the Scottish forms, and more particularly to the columellarian boss so common in the calices of the corallites of Phillipsastræa. When Dr. Schäfer's paper appeared I was engaged upon the examination of the genus Campophyllum , the result of which appeared in the Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy , ‡ but my subsequent long illness has prevented me from hitherto reviewing the structural characters of the varied Scottish forms of Phillipsastræa. Further, in consequence of the emphasis placed by Dr. Schäfer on the presence or absence of a columella, I was desirous of visiting the only locality in Scotland where this interesting group has yet been found, in order to make the evidence as clear as possible, and I am pleased to say the specimens procured have substantiated my former observations, and have revealed new structural details. One specimen shows under the microscope the granular sclerodermic tissue of the septa to be minutely This 250-word extract was created in the absence of an abstract

An Archæological Survey of the British Islands

THOSE who are interested in the preservation and examination of ancient monuments should read the plea for “An Archæological Survey of the United Kingdom,” which formed the subject of Dr. David Murray's presidential address to the Archæcological Society of Glasgow, and which is reprinted in a convenient form by James MacLehoseand Sons, of Glasgow.

XIX.—The Latest Volcanoes of the British Isles

My first duty to the members of the Geological Society of Glasgow is to thank them for the honour they conferred some time ago upon me in electing me their President. I have, as they know, a keen interest in the welfare of their Society. It is now more than thirty years since my connection with them began, when one of my earliest papers was published in the first volume of their Transactions. Since that time, although I have been less frequently among them, my interest in their progress and prosperity has by no means lessened. This Society has done so much good service to the cause of geology in Scotland that when asked to become its President I felt it to be at once a privilege and a pleasure to consent. I have been unable until now to appear before you, and I am sorry to say that even now I have found it impossible to secure leisure enough for the preparation of any formal address for this occasion. I propose, therefore, to speak to you on a subject which, while it cannot fail to have some interest for you, has for myself the great advantage, that having occupied me pretty closely for the last twenty years, it is a topic on which I may venture to speak without special preparation—the story of the last volcanoes that have been in eruption in the British Isles. You are aware that these islands of ours are specially fortunate in the wonderfully This 250-word extract was created in the absence of an abstract

An Address on Certain Considerations in Regard to the Infective Nature of Cancer: Read before the Medico-Chirurgical Society of Glasgow on October 7th, 1892

An Address on Certain Considerations in Regard to the Infective Nature of Cancer: Read before the Medico-Chirurgical Society of Glasgow on October 7th, 1892

Medico-Chirurgical Society of Glasgow. Discussion on Anæsthetics.

This little book is a reprint from the<i>Glasgow Medical Journal</i>of a discussion on the subject of Anæsthetics which took place at three successive meetings of the Medico-Chirurgical Society of Glasgow, held respectively October 17, 24 and 31, 1890. There is an introduction by Dr. William Macewen, and papers as follows: "The Action of Anæsthetics on the Respiration and Cardiac Action, and on the Risks Incident to this Action," by Dr. Joseph Coats; "On the Relative Value of the Various Anæsthetics," by Dr. T. Brown Henderson; " Ether as an Anæsthetic," by Dr. Hartley, of Leeds; "On Primary Chloroform Syncope," by Dr. Robert Kirk; " Thirty-five Years Experience of Anæsthetics," by Sir George MacLeod; "Anæsthetics in Relation to Midwifery," by Dr. William L. Reid; " Anæsthetics in Dental Practice," by Dr. Woodburn; "Nitrous Oxide, Cocaine and other Anæsthetics," by Dr. W. J. Fleming; "Causes of Death Under Chloroform," by

I. On the Fructification and Internal Structure of Carboniferous Ferns in their Relation to those of Existing Genera, with Special Reference to British Palæozoic Species

I have great pleasure in acceding to the request of your Secretary to bring this paper before the members of the Geological Society of Glasgow, especially as immediately surrounding this city are large coal-fields, rich in the remains of the extinct flora which is to engage our attention for a short time this evening. This paper has been suggested to me from a question often asked by beginners in the study of Palaeozoic Botany, “In what book can I find the descriptions of British species?” Unfortunately this question cannot be answered, as no complete work on the British Palaeozoic flora has yet been published, and what has been written on the subject is, with few exceptions, scattered through the Transactions of various Societies which are frequently inaccessible to students of fossil botany, except to those in some of our large centres of population. But let us suppose that the beginner has access to all papers hitherto published on British palaeozoic botany, none the less will he soon meet with species which, if previously recorded from Britain, are certainly not described in any English work. One therefore must make their identifications in great part from the writings of foreign authors. These volumes are expensive, and as very few of our libraries contain even some of the standard works on the subject, fossil botany in Scotland, and I might even say in Britain generally, has been but little studied. There are many intelligent collectors of fossil plants, but till there is a This 250-word extract was created in the absence of an abstract

On the Zeolites of Rye Water, Ayrshire

The first volume of the Transactions of the Geological Society of Glasgow contains the following notice of Zeolites as occurring in the banks of the Rye Water:—"About one-and-a-quarter miles below Howrat Toll-bar, white and red stilbite occur, small white prehnites, with fine pellucid quartz approaching to hyalite, and calcite."

On Tachylyte from Victoria Park, Whiteinch, near Glasgow

In a paper published last year in the ‘Transactions of the Geological Society of Glasgow' by Messrs. John Young, F.G.S., and D. Corse Glen, F.G.S., an interesting account is given of certain intrusive sheets and veins of dolerite passing through Carboniferous shales and sandstones, which contain the erect stems of fossil trees, determined by Mr. R. Kidston, F.G.S., as those of Lepidodendron Veltheimianum . In one instance a thin vein of the dolerite was found to pass completely through one of the trees a little above the roots. There can therefore be no doubt that these dolerite veins were formed, as the authors point out, subsequently to the growth of the trees and the deposition of the surrounding beds. In the paper already cited the authors duly recognize the tachylytic character which the margins of the smaller intrusive veins present in the following words:— “In this quarry we have the interesting evidence that along these lines, especially in the thinner veins, the dolerite has cooled as a vitreous glassy lava, in which a thin layer, showing micro-spherulitic structure, has been developed during the process along the surface of both faces of the vein. These veins are now seen to have lost their glassy structure through devitrification, and are of a whitish colour, but their spherulitic structure, which still remains, clearly indicates that they once existed as veins of a glassy tachylyte. This is the first instance in which we have found such a structure amongst the dolerites of the Glasgow Coal-field.”

Joint excursions of the Geological Societies of Edinburgh and Glasgow, on 30th June 1888

In beautiful weather this excursion was made to Camps Limestone Quarries and the Oakbank Oil Works, both near Midcalder. About three dozen members attended. Mr William Conchie led the party to Camps Quarries—Mr Torrance, jun., directing them through a new subterranean quarry of much interest and beauty. Specimens were obtained of the ‶buckie fake″ bed, which occurs at the base of the limestone, and which contains Littorina Scoto-Burdiegalensis . The party then proceeded to Oakbank Oil Works, over which they were conducted by Mr Charles Fraser and the officials of the Oakbank Oil Company. The various processes and products were carefully explained, and the party were conveyed on a locomotive engine to the mouth of the shale pit. From thence they adjourned to the ‶Torphichen Arms,″ Midcalder, where an excellent tea-dinner was partaken of. Mr Ealph Richardson, one of the Vice-Presidents of the Edinburgh Geological Society, occupied the chair, and Mr D. C. Glen, Member of Council of the Geological Society of Glasgow, was croupier. After dinner the chairman proposed the toast of ‶Prosperity to the Geological Society of Glasgow,″ to which the croupier replied, and proposed ‶Prosperity to the Oakbank Oil Company,″ coupled with the name of Mr Fraser, who responded. Mr J. Barclay Murdoch, Hon. Secretary of the Geological Society of Glasgow, then proposed ‶Prosperity to the Edinburgh Geological Society,″ to which the chairman replied; and shortly afterwards the members of both societies returned to Midcalder station, having spent a most enjoyable and instructive day together.

V. The Joint Excursion of the Edinburgh and Glasgow Geological Societies to Ben Nevis and the Parallel Roads of Lochaber, in July, 1885

Introduction.—On the 7th of May, 1885, I delivered an expository lecture before the Edinburgh Geological Society, and repeated the same on the 14th before this society, on “The Parallel Roads of Glen Roy: the Problem, its Conditions, and Solutions.”* One result of these papers was that a joint excursion of members of both societies was arranged for Lochaber, to examine the problem on the spot, under the leadership of the lecturer. The excursion took place during the last week of July, from Monday, July 27th, to Saturday the 31st. The party numbered seventeen in all, of whom six were connected with the Edinburgh Society and nine with the Glasgow Society, another being a gentleman from Dorset, and the last Mr. Colin Livingstone, head master of the Public School of Fort-William, whose knowledge of the district and of the special subject is unrivalled, and whose services were of the greatest value to the party, as duly and heartily acknowledged. The whole cost of the excursion to each man was, on an average, about £5. The weather was superb, without a single shower; the sky cloudless and the air uncommonly clear, exhibiting the glorious scenery and the various phenomena to the best advantage; the party delightfully varied, bright and genial; and the whole experiences unusually pleasant, instructive, and memorable. The time at disposal did not and could not allow of detailed investigation of the numerous and difficult points involved, scattered, as these are, over a broad mountainous district, and necessitating, as they This 250-word extract was created in the absence of an abstract

VI.—“Cone-in-Cone.”

In the June Number of the Geological Magazine an abstract is given of a paper on Cone-in-cone, read by Mr. John Young before the Geological Society of Glasgow, in which he advances the theory that this peculiar structure is caused by the escape of gases.