Cretaceous-Palaeogene sediments of the Kangerdlugssuaq area on the continental margin of Central East Greenland were deposited in an embayment of an extensive pre-NE Atlantic shelf sea. Pre-Sparnacian sediments are thin (150 m), incomplete and of siliciclastic type, formed in shallow marine waters. Sparnacian times saw the onset of vigorous basaltic vulcanicity, marking the initial rifting episode between Greenland and Eurasia. Uplift immediately prior to the vulcanicity is evidenced by an unconformity at the base of the Sparnacian, above which basement-derived arkosic sandstones and conglomerates are followed by about 1.5 km of coarse volcaniclastics, basaltic flows of dominantly picritic composition, pro-grading hyaloclastite wedges and thin siltstones with abundant organic detritus. Very rapid subsidence accompanied this early phase of vulcanicity, maintaining the top of the pile close to sea level and allowing the deposition of a further kilometre of waterlain tuffs in the embayment. Sedimentation extended northwards and eastwards on to basement rocks at this period, with the formation of a non-marine sequence which includes coals.

The overlying plateau tholeiites overlap the earlier volcanics; their depositional area was extremely extensive along the East Greenland margin and bears no relationship to the Kangerdlugssuaq sedimentary embayment, although their thickest development, 4 km or more, was attained in that region. Eruption rate of the pile exceeded subsidence for a period and it is dominantly subaerial.

This sequence of events is compared with the similar history of sedimentation and basaltic vulcanicity on the west coast of Greenland, and it is inferred that just as the East Greenland sequence records the initiation of spreading between Greenland and Rockall-Faeroe at anomaly 24−25 time, so that of West Greenland marks the propagation of the Labrador Sea spreading axis through the Davis Strait into Baffin Bay at anomaly 26−27 time.

Llandovery strata at Llanystumdwy are described. Ninety graptolite species have been identified enabling the establishment of the following zones: acinaces, cyphus, triangulatus, magnus, leptotheca, convolutus, ?sedgwickii, turriculatus and crispus. The name Llanystumdwy Mudstone Formation is proposed for previously undescribed mudstones cropping out on the River Dwyfor at Llanystumdwy and includes all strata referable to the acinaces to turriculatus zones. Comparison is made between Llanystumdwy and other areas, notably Northern England and Southern Scotland

K2O, TiO2, P205, Zr, Y, Sr and Nb data from the Panjal Traps of Kashmir indicate that the lava erupted in a rift tectonic setting. This is also suggested by the other features of these rocks and volcanic history of the area. The time of eruption represents the initial phase of break-up of the Indian plate from the Siberian plate. This conclusion is in good agreement with the current views on the tectonic evolution of the area.

The Blue Anchor Formation of the Upper Trias in south-west Britain is divided into two members. The lower (Rydon Member) was deposited in an evaporitic lacustrine environment whilst the upper (Williton Member) was deposited in a shallow marine environment and represents the initial marine transgression into south-west Britain late in the Triassic Period. Sedimentological and clay mineralogical evidence indicates that the Williton Member is bounded by erosional disconformities and, at present, can only be positively recognised in North Somerset.

Two Devonian biogeographic provinces are recognised in China, based on brachiopod distribution. The Junggar-Xinan Province to the north shows a mixture of European and North American elements, but notably no stringocephalids are present. The South China Province, which is subdivided into three subprovinces possesses more elements of European type.

Abundances of rare-earth elements (REE) and Th, Ta, Hf, Sc, Co, Ba determined by instrumental neutron activation analysis show similarity between lamprophyres and other potassic rocks including kimberlite. The Indian lamprophyres have fractionated REE patterns with enrichment of light REE. The light REEs show more variation than the heavy REEs within the group.

Lamprophyres occurring in intimate association with the alkaline basalt may be genetically related. The trace element characteristics of the abundant lamprophyre dykes in granitic terrain are unlikely to be generated by assimilation of alkaline basalt by granitic crust. Small amounts of partial melting in mantle pockets enriched in incompatible elements as a result of metasomatic processes would explain the elemental concentration observed in the lamprophyres.

The majority of Dicellograptus species have stipes which spiralled to a greater or lesser extent; this explains continuous variation of axial angle found in several species and many anomalous features of flattened or partially flattened specimens. The effects of variation in thecal style along the stipe are distinguished from those produced by variable orientation of the rhabdosome during flattening and by later tectonic distortion. It is concluded that Dicellograptus probably lived with stipes pointing upward and that the rhabdosome rotated in a horizontal plane due to eddies created by the non-directional ciliary activity of radially dispersed zooids in order to improve feeding efficiency.

A summary has been made of the distinguishing lithological features of four sedimentary groups long recognized from the Lower and Middle Old Red Sandstone (Devonian) of the Northern Highlands of Scotland. This has led to recognition of the groups in unfossiliferous outliers to the W, permitting the correlation of these outliers with the main outcrop.

Analysis of a Bathonian ostracod fauna and the microflora from a claypit at Tarlton, Gloucestershire, strongly suggests that land was then nearby. Among the non-marine Ostracoda are cypridacean species similar to lacustrine forms from the French Bathonian. Such an assemblage has not previously been recorded from Britain. The clay is assigned to Bate's revised Bathonian ostracod zone 6, and a palaeogeographical interpretation is offered in terms of recent reconstructions of British Bathonian landmasses.