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158 PROCEEDINGS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. .Nov. 21,
Fig. 8.
Section No. 7. Between Candieiros and Rio Maioj\ (5 miles.)
W. Alto da Serra. Rio Maior. E.
After crossing the limestone at Alto da Serra the road rmis north-
ward on the west flank of the chain for about twenty miles to Carvalhos,
where the chain suddenly bends to the eastward. From Alto da
Serra to Carvalhos the Jurassic limestones dip eastward at angles
varying from 30° upwards : the lowest beds seen are frequently some-
what oolitic and associated with a fine-grained calcareous sandstone,
which forms a beautiful white freestone for architectural purposes,
and has been used for the finest Gothic work in the church of Ba-
talha : the middle and upper beds are of a hard, white or greyish ar-
gillaceous limestone like that of INIonte Junto, occasionally containing
fossils, which I had no opportunity of extracting. During this part
of its range we nowhere see on what the limestone rests, and its
western flank, on which its lower beds crop out, is always covered by
unconformable deposits of subcretaceous beds. I did not see the
eastern side of this part of the chain.
From Carvalhos the limestone chain suddenly turns eastward, pass-
ing by Porto de Moz and Aire ; beyond the latter place it rises into
a lofty range called the Serra d' Aire. I did not follow the hmestone
through this part of its course.
At the eastern end of the Serra d'Aire the limestone range again
turns northward and runs about N. by W. for nearly twenty miles to
Redinha ; this part of the chain is less elevated and has not obtained a
name, yet it forms a marked feature in the comitry. I crossed it at
Val d'Ovos, about six miles from Thomar on the road to Leiria, and
then after losing sight of it for some miles came upon it again before
reaching Redinha, where the similarity of direction and general cha-
racters left me no doubt of the identity of the beds.
At Val d'Ovos the beds of limestone dip E.S.E. 10°, and cover a
width of about a mile ; the rock is a hard, white, compact hmestone
with a conchoidal fracture, and contains Belemnites, Turritellee, Corals,
&c., vvhich I had not time to collect. On the western flank of the
chain the limestone is seen to rest on a soft ferruginous sandstone
containing minor beds of limestone ; these lower beds are very httle
exposed, being overlaid to the westward by unconformable beds of
subcretaceous sands dipping W. 3°. On the east of the chain the
hmestone is covered by a formation of ferruginous sands which appear
conformable to it ; these are described farther on. The position of
the beds seen on this traverse will be seen in section No. 3 (fig. 4).
Near Redinha the limestone stretches out in an easterly direction,