8. Arenaceous Strata unconformable on an Oil-generating Formation.—Occasionally a formation, though a parent source of petroleum, does not contain porous rocks suitable for oil accumulation. But a second formation resting unconformably upon the first may be admirably situated for receiving and storing the oil, for this second formation probably contains the necessary sandstones, and also all the unconformable strata are likely to be more or less arpaeeous where they abut against the plane of unconformity, thus facilitating the transfer of the oil from the rocks below (Fig. 9). Cases of this kind occur in California in the Coalinga Oilfield, where oil is obtained from sandstones in the Miocene which lies unconformably over the Eocene; also in Roumania, where the Meotic formation transgresses over the Saliferous.

Certain deposits in the neighbourhood of the Seberuang Eiver, a tributary of the Kapuas in Western Borneo, were described by E. Everwijn in 1854 as containing numerous so-called “Nummulites.” Similar organisms were obtained at a later date from the same district by Dr. F. Schneider, which were examined by Dr. K. Von Fritsch and proved to belong to the genus Patellina. Two new forms were described and figured under the names of P. scutum and P. Irochus, whilst the occurrence of Patellina itself suggested to Von Fritsch. the probability of the beds in question being of Cretaceous age.

Presenting as it does the only example of a volcano in the phase of permanent moderate activity to be found in Europe, Stromboli must always have the strongest claims on the attention of geologists. Here may at all times be witnessed, in perfect security, those explosions produced by the disengagement of vapour in the midst of masses of liquefied rock, which, following one another at longer or shorter intervals, and taking place with greater or less violence, constitute a most striking feature in nearly all volcanic eruptions; and the causes, sequence and attendant phenomena of these outbursts can in the case of this volcano be most conveniently studied.

A new otarionine trilobite Otarionella rastrum sp. nov., from the late Emsian Mont Peyroux Formation (Montagne Noire, France), is described. Silicified remains, recovered from the underlying Bissounel Formation (early to late Emsian), are also attributed to this new species. These isolated silicified sclerites represent metaprotaspid to young holaspid growth stages, which enables the almost complete ontogeny of an otarionine trilobite with a spinose adult morphology to be described for the first time. Comparison with associated larval and juvenile growth stages of Cyphaspis reveal that the pattern of juvenile cranidial spine distribution in Otarionella rastrum sp. nov. differs from all patterns described so far in the Otarioninae, in particular that characterizing the tribe Otarionini. A second species, Otarionella lkomalii sp. nov., known only from a complete articulated specimen discovered in the early Eifelian of southern Morocco, is also described. Like the middle Eifelian Otarionella chamaeleo (Basse, 1997), this new species has only ten thoracic segments, with the fourth and the sixth segments each bearing a long axial spine. In the light of the new elements provided by the ontogenetic sequence of O. rastrum sp. nov. and the adult specimens of this species and O. lkomalii sp. nov., the putative synonymy of Otarionella and Otarion is rejected and a restricted concept of the genus Otarionella is defined.

Paired eruptive complexes consisting of a symmetrical and an asymmetrical cinder cone are described from Mount Etna. The contrasts in shape and fumarolic activity and the temporal relations of the cones are ascribed to the level of magma in the underlying conduit.

The occurrence of perforations due to Lithophagous mollusca has been frequently observed in the Oolitic rocks, viz. in the Inferior and Great Oolite, Cornbrash, Coral-rag, and Portland beds. During a recent visit, with some of the students of the Agricultural College, Cirencester, to a quarry near there, further evidence of a similar fact was obtained. The quarry is situated near the canal on the farm land of Mr. Sargeant, and has been long worked for road stone and building stone, and, according to the Geological Survey, belongs to the Forest Marble division of the Great Oolite series, and exhibits the structure known as “false-bedding or oblique lamination,” and occasionally the flagstones in this and other neighbouring quarries show ripple-marks and tracks of marine animals.

Palaeontological field surveys in remote regions are a challenge, because of uncertainty in finding new specimens, high transportation costs, risks for the crew and a long time commitment. The effort can be facilitated by using high-resolution satellite imagery. Here we present a new opportunity to investigate remote fossil localities in detail, mapping the optical signature of individual fossils. We explain a practical workflow for detecting fossils using remote-sensing platforms and cluster algorithms. We tested the method within the Petrified Forest National Park, where fossil logs are sparse in a large area with mixed lithologies. We ran both unsupervised and supervised classifications, obtaining the best estimations for the presence of fossil logs using the likelihood and spectral angle mapper algorithms. We recognized general constraints and described logical and physical pros and cons of each estimated map. We also explained how the outcomes should be critically evaluated with consistent accuracy tests. Instead of searching for fossiliferous outcrops, our method targets single fossil specimens (or highly condensed accumulations), obtaining a significant increase in potential efficiency and effectiveness of field surveys. When repeatedly applied to the same region over time, it could also be useful for monitoring palaeontological heritage localities. Most importantly, the method here described is feasible, easily applicable to both fossil logs and bones, and represents a step towards standard best practices for applying remote sensing in the palaeontological field.

The name “Dene Holes” has been locally given to certain ancient artificial caverns usually found excavated in the Chalk of Essex and Kent. They have deep vertical entrances by shafts, being of varying depth, but the caverns themselves all bear a general similitude in design. They have been chiefly explored in the counties of Essex and Kent, although they undoubtedly exist in many other counties.

Plate atrophy (“plate crushing”) giving rise to interambulacral plates analogous to demi-plates immediately above the ambitus is described in the Miocene spatangoid Lovenia woodsi, from Beaumaris, Victoria. It appears to be caused by the development of large primary tubercles on the aboral surface, which causes the expansion of the lowest tubercle-bearing plates during ontogeny, so that the more ventral interambulacral plates are squeezed against the ambitus.

A pure anthophyllite schist occurs as a bedded deposit conformable with garnet-bearing quartz—muscovite, and quartz—chlorite—biotite schists and diopside-bearing caic-silicate rocks in the north-central part of the Nellore Schist Belt. Field and petrochemical studies show that anthophyllite schist has formed from regional metamorphism of Fe-, Mg-rich aluminous sediments aided by metamorphic differentiation due to local kinematic action under amphibolite facies conditions which is the general grade of metamorphism of the Nellore Schist Belt. A pure anthophyllite schist of sedimentary origin reported here is the first of its kind described from any terrain.