Trioctahedral minerals in the soil-clays of north-east Scotland

Author(s):  
G. F. Walker

This paper deals with a series of soil-clay minerals which have a widespread distribution in the north-east of Scotland. The original member is a biotite-like mica which breaks down readily in the soil into (i) a vermiculite or (ii) a montmorillonite, depending on the soil-forming conditions operating. Apart from this 'clay biotite' and its decomposition products, the main crystalline constituents of the Scottish soil-clays are a member of the kaolinite group and illite (' clay muscovite'). Iron and aluminium oxides are present in all the clays in the amorphous condition, but crystalline varieties are scarce. The distribution of the minerals and their relationship to the various soft-forming factors will form the subject of a separate communication; here, the nature of the clay minerals and their interrelationships are considered.

Author(s):  
G. F. Walker

A noticeable feature of many of the soils of north-east Scotland is the presence in them of glistening yellow flakes of decomposed biotite. The light-reflecting property of this material catches the eye even though the flakes themselves are often of very small size.An analogous process to the breakdown of biotite as reported below occurs in the soil-clays of the area, and the present study was undertaken primarily in order to throw light on the mineralogical nature of the clay fractions of the soils, since the large amounts of anmrphous material associated with the soil-clay minerals renders less satisfactory the direct approach. The mineralogy of the soil-clays will be dealt with in a separate communication.


1882 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 405-409
Author(s):  
William Ferguson
Keyword(s):  

The station of Parkhill, on the Great North of Scotland Railway, is seven and a half miles from Aberdeen, and the cist which is the subject of these notes was situated in a mound of gravel and sand to the north-east of, and within one or two hundred yards of, the station. This is the second which has been uncovered at the same spot,—a previous one having been disclosed in 1867, the contents of which—a vase and some bones—are preserved in the Anatomical Museum, Marischal College, University of Aberdeen.


2020 ◽  
Vol 115 ◽  
pp. 175-245
Author(s):  
Vassilis L. Aravantinos ◽  
Ioannis Fappas ◽  
Yannis Galanakis

Questions were raised in the past regarding the use of Mycenaean tiles as ‘roof tiles’ on the basis of the small numbers of them recovered in excavations and their overall scarcity in Mycenaean domestic contexts. The investigation of the Theodorou plot in 2008 in the southern part of the Kadmeia hill at Thebes yielded the single and, so far, largest known assemblage per square metre of Mycenaean tiles from a well-documented excavation. This material allows, for the first time convincingly, to identify the existence of a Mycenaean tiled roof. This paper presents the results of our work on the Theodorou tiles, placing emphasis on their construction, form and modes of production, offering the most systematic study of Mycenaean tiles to date. It also revisits contexts of discovery of similar material from excavations across Thebes. Popular as tiles might have been in Boeotia, and despite their spatially widespread attestation, their use in Aegean Late Bronze Age architecture appears, on the whole, irregular with central Greece and the north-east Peloponnese being the regions with the most sites known to have yielded such objects. Mycenaean roof tiles date mostly from the mid- and late fourteenth century bc to the twelfth century bc. A study of their construction, form, production and contexts suggests that their role, apart from adding extra insulation, might have been one of signposting certain buildings in the landscape. We also present the idea that Mycenaean tile-making was guided by a particular conventional knowledge which was largely influenced by ceramic-related technologies (pottery- and drain-making). While production of roof tiles might have been palace-instigated to begin with, it does not appear to have been strictly controlled. This approach to Mycenaean tile-making may also help explain their uneven (in terms of intensity of use) yet widespread distribution.


1984 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Torrens ◽  
T. Getty

In any discussion of the historical development of what was later to be named Biostratigraphy it is often assumed that a modern basis for the subject had already been reached by the cumulative work in the subject up to 1815; culminating in that of William Smith (1769-1839) and Alexandre Brongniart (1770-1847). But to this time fossils had only been used to identify (and discriminate between) often repetitive lithological units or to establish a relationship between rock units in different areas. The practical demonstration that particular lithological units could be regularly subdivided with significant consequences, on the basis of their contained fossils was a later achievement over several generations. One of the first to free stratigraphical palaeontology from such a lithological control was the forgotten Englishman Louis Hunton (1814-1838). In this paper Hunton's origins from a successful alum making family in the north-east of Yorkshire in the north of England and his short life and scientific work are described for the first time. The family business of alum making from the highly fossiliferous local alum shales, which were extracted open-cast, directly introduced Hunton to stratigraphical palaeontology. He followed up this work by study in London, where his pioneering paper was read to the Geological Society of London in 1836. He died less than 2 years later but had helped lay a foundation for major biostratigraphic advances by his insistence that only fossils collected in situ should be used in such work and then that the species, of especially ammonites, in his Yorkshire strata had particularly limited and invariable relative positions within that lithological sequence. His work is also compared with that of his contemporary W.C. Williamson and the conclusion reached that Hunton, because of his emphasis in the merits of ammonites, deserves more to be remembered as a pioneer of Jurassic biostratigraphy.


1956 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-102
Author(s):  
Malcolm Guthrie

The people whose language forms the subject of this article live in the Belgian Congo, on the sandy plateau immediately to the north-east of Léopoldville. Known to the neighbouring Kongo-speaking tribes as Bamfununga or Bamfunika, they call themselves Bamfinu, and their language Emfinu. Following the usual practice of referring to Bantu languages in English by means of the stem of the vernacular name, this particular language is termed Mfinu.Although a Bantu language, Mfinu displays a number of features that are not found elsewhere in the Bantu family, except to a certain extent in some of the neighbouring languages.


1922 ◽  
Vol 59 (4) ◽  
pp. 156-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. L. Kitchin ◽  
J. Pringle

During the years 1918–19 we investigated the relations of the beds exposed in a remarkable section at Shenley Hill, north of Leighton Buzzard. Our conclusion that lenticles of limestone of basal varians-age are there overlain by a mass of Upper Gault showing an inverted order of zones provided an interesting glacial problem. This seemed to us of less importance, however, than the discovery that these transported masses had been deposited upon a, floor formed by a basement-bed of transgressive Upper Gault, which there rests immediately upon the local top of the Lower Greensand. The chief interest attaching to this example of glacial disturbance lay in the resulting disposition of particular beds in anomalous zonal relationships. Other striking instances of the glacial transportation of large masses of rock were known to occur in the tract of country to the north-east of this locality. The difference was chiefly one of degree, not of kind. We realized that the detection here of an overlap of the Upper Gault might prove to be a matter of greater moment, possessing, perhaps, a far-reaching stratigraphical significance. A study of the literature dealing with this formation, coupled with the examination of the Gault at a few localities in other counties where an overlap takes place, convinced us that a fuller investigation of the subject would prove fruitful in results.


1931 ◽  
Vol 56 (3) ◽  
pp. 753-766 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederick Walker

North of Skye the waters of the Minch conceal Tertiary igneous rocks, probably of great interest, the nature of which may be surmised only from the study of a few small skerries or islands projecting above sea-level. The group of the Shiant Isles is the best known and most interesting of these, and has been described elsewhere; but the more southerly islets, which form the subject of the present communication, are not without importance in themselves, besides forming a useful geological connecting link between the Shiants and Trotternish. As shown in the sketch map (fig. 1), they comprise the little archipelago a league off the Trotternish coast, which will be referred to as the Fladda group; the island of Trodday, two miles north-east of Rudha Hunish in Skye, and three small rocks or skerries lying close to the track of the Harris mail steamer.


Vox Patrum ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 65 ◽  
pp. 211-344
Author(s):  
Piotr Kochanek

The present article explores 44 medieval and early modern world maps. The subject of research are three graphic topoi, that evoke the image of the biblical and historical enemy from the north: Gog and Magog, Caspian Gates (Portae Caspiae) and the inclosed nations (inclusae nationes). These topoi were localized in north-east Asia. For this reason the title of the article includes the concept of the enclosed area of north-east Asia. There are also analyzed vignettes of the cities, which are located on the territory of the enclosed area. The aim of the article is to show the changes which over several centuries have occurred within the in­terpretation of these three topoi. This evolution has been closely associated with the expansion of geographical horizon of Europeans. Geopolitical and historical changes were also an important factor of this evolution. All these elements have an impact on the way of looking at the enclosed area of north-east Asia. Important factor was also philosophy and theology. Slows fear of the enemy from the north gave way to curiosity, and curiosity prompted the Europeans to get to know this part of Asia. Graphical topos has been replaced by geographical knowledge, that has been transferred to the maps.


Author(s):  
Gérard Bouchard ◽  
Raymond Roy ◽  
Manon Declos ◽  
Jean Mathieu ◽  
Kevork Kouladjian

ABSTRACT:A very high prevalence (approximately 1/475 in 1985) of myotonic dystrophy (Steinert disease) is observed in the Saguenay region, which is located in the north-east part of the Province of Quebec. For various reasons, however, the literature on the subject generally associates a high degree of selective disadvantage with this gene, which seems to contradict the Saguenay data. Using a computerized regional population register, we have reconstituted patients' genealogies and family biographies. We have thus been able to study the origin of the gene and to compare the demographic behavior of patients and controls. On the whole, patients seem to be very little disadvantaged compared to controls, in terms of reproduction as well as of geographical and occupational mobility.


Clay Minerals ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. J. Wilson

AbstractThe origin and formation of soil clay minerals, namely micas, vermiculites, smectites, chlorites and interlayered minerals, interstratified minerals and kaolin minerals, are broadly reviewed in the context of research over the past half century. In particular, the pioneer overviews of Millot, Pedro and Duchaufour in France and of Jackson in the USA, are considered in the light of selected examples from the huge volume of work that has since taken place on this topic. It is concluded that these early overviews may still be regarded as being generally valid, although it may be that too much emphasis has been placed upon transformation mechanisms and not enough upon neoformation processes. This review also highlights some of the many problems pertaining to the origin and formation of soil clays that remain to be resolved.


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