The pre-Carboniferous rocks exposed along the coast of Co. Wexford from Rosslare to Bannow Island have been re-examined. Four distinct units are recognized: the Rosslare Complex, the Cul-lenstown Group, the Tagoat Group and the Bannow Group.

The Rosslare Complex and the Cullenstown Group are suggested to be of Pre-Cambrian age. A correlation is proposed between the Cullenstown Group and part of the Mona Complex of Anglesey; the Rosslare Complex is thought to be much older. It is suggested tentatively that all the Bannow Group may be of Ordovician age.

Nodules containing siderite and calcite in the Yorkshire Lias have been studied quantitatively using petrographic, X-ray and chemical methods. Ankerite is recorded from the Lias for the first time. It is shown how the relative abundance of early diagenetic siderite and calcite correlates with sandiness of the sediment and provides an index of environmental change.

The presence of pre- and post-Carboniferous structures in Murrisk is noted. Warping of the sub-Carboniferous surface in the eastern part of the Partry Mountain area is ascribed to NE-trending normal faults.

A sequence of 11 tetracoral and conodont faunas, ranging from early Gedinnian to late Givetian, is recognized in the Lower and Middle Devonian limestones of New South Wales and Victoria. These faunas are not only important stratigraphically in eastern Australia, but also provide a basis for the correlation of the Australian Devonian with overseas stages. A table of correlation is given for the principal Devonian limestone sequences of New South Wales and Victoria.

Patterns of joints in flat-lying Permian rocks have been compared with those of folded Mathinna beds, of Siluro-Devonian age, across an exposed unconformity, and with those of a nearby Late Devonian granite. The patterns of the Permian rocks and the granite are similar, and each joint set appears to be related to parallel-trending post-Permian faults in the region. However, there is no representation of the joint sets of the Permian rocks in the Mathinna beds, considered to be due to shear failure either along bedding up to 18 degrees from the expected position, or along pre-existing open joints up to 65 degrees away. Lack of apparent order in the deflection and termination of joints against one another in the Mathinna beds indicates contemporaneity of formation of the open continuous fractures of differing attitudes, suggesting that the initial form of joints is as minor discontinuous cracks, which later develop into the open joints examined in surface outcrops.

The historical development of the stratigraphic nomenclature of the Llandovery of north Connemara is described. The lowest beds are red sandstones and interbedding keratophyre passing up into a complex sequence of grey, green and red clastics with shelly facies fossils. Above this are red and green mudstones and siltstones with rare graptolites. In the east these are overlain by coarse sandstones and conglomerates. The conglomerates are probably allochthonous. In the west this coarse facies is developed earlier and laterally interfingers with the shelly facies clastics and overlying mudstones. The sub-Wenlock unconformity reported by McKerrow and Campbell from this region is reinterpreted as an appearance of this interfingering.

Elongated belemnites illustrated by Albert and Arnold Heim were not deformed as brittle bodies, because the guards have undergone recrystallization. A tentative hypothesis is put forward to integrate the mechanical and chemical processes in the belemnites. During progressive extension of the belemnites carbonate material has diffused from highly stressed fragments of the guards into “low-stress” spaces between the fragments.

A conodont fauna from a thin limestone bed, considered to be of Wenlockian age, in the Usk inlier, Monmouthshire, is described. Ninety-seven specimens are assigned to four genera and eight species. The fauna is referable to the sagitta conodont zone and suggested correlations are made with the upper part of the Ostra-coden-Kalkes in Germany, with part of the Aulacopleura Schichten and Kok-Kalk in Austria, and with part of the Lockport Dolomite and Rochester Shale in North America.

Cheirurus (Eccoptochile) Frederici Salter, 1864, the type species of Anacheirurus is redescribed. It is considered to be synonymous with Lehua, thus extending the stratigraphical range of Anacheirurus upwards to the Llanvirn, or perhaps Llandeilo, Series.

The Karasuk Group comprises a series of meta-sedimentary rocks of the amphibolite facies with localized areas of granulites. The granulites have been subjected to retrogressive metamorphism, and acid granulites are much more retrograded than associated basic granulites. It is suggested that this differential retrogression of the granulites is related to differing susceptibilities of the two types to the penetrative deformation to which they have been subjected.