HH62/1/DUMFRI/1

Transcription

REPORT.

The County of Dumfries covers an area of 1103 square miles,
or 705,945 acres, of which 20,427 are foreshore and 5301 water.
From west to east its extent varies between 21 and 46 miles, and
from north to south between 13 and 32. The western, northern,
and part of the eastern boundaries are mainly mountain watershed;
while the south-western, southern, and south-eastern consist re-
spectively of the rivers Cluden and Nith, the Solway Firth, and the
Sark, Esk, and Liddel waters. It contains the three great valleys
of Nithsdale, Annandale, and Eskdale, which are traversed by the
Nith, Annan and Esk as they flow southwards to lose their waters
in those of the Solway. The northern parts may be best described
as "prevailingly upland," with high hills and small glens and vales.
As one passes southwards these hills tend to become less lofty, and
the glens broaden out into the larger valleys, which in their turn
become almost level plains, varied by occasional low hills, most
prominent among which are those of the range in Tinwald, Torthor
wald, and Mouswald that forms one of the boundaries between the
plains of Nithsdale and Annandale.
The rocks are chiefly Silurian. Along the northern boundary
of Upper Nithsdale representatives of the Lower Old Red Sand-
stones are met with. Upper Old Red Sandstones form a fringe
underlying the Carboniferous rocks from the County boundary east
of the Ewes Water south-westwards by Langholm to Brunswark.
Carboniferous rocks are found in the district between Langholm and
Ruthwell, in Closeburn, Keir, and Morton, and in the neighbour-
hood of Sanquhar and Kirkconnel.The Sanquhar coalfield is stated
to be about nine miles in length and from two to four in breadth.
Permian strata occur at Moffat, Lochmaben, and Corncockle Moor,
between Annan and the mouth of the Esk, and in the Dumfries and