Study of casts of Stegomosuchus, a small reptile from the Upper Trias of the Connecticut Valley, hitherto regarded as a pseudosuchian thecodont, suggests that the skull of Protosuchus includes two pairs of supraorbital bones, and as a consequence the narrow interorbital region indicates a closer relationship to the South African genus Notochampsa than has previously been thought. These three genera of late Triassic crocodilians are placed in the family Stegomosuchidae von Huene, 1922. Proterochampsa, from the Ischigualasto Formation of Argentina, described by Reig (1959) and Sill (1967) as an ancestral crocodile, is considered to be an extremely primitive phytosaur.

The Chalk of England contains three main Hexactinellid faunas, of Lower Cenomanian, Middle and Upper Turonian, and Lower Senonian to Maestrichtian age respectively. The third is also represented in Ireland. A number of minor faunal changes can also be recognized. The three main faunas have little in common, and their relationship is not evolutionary; the changes appear to be due to migrations. By analogy with modern forms, this is likely to reflect changes in the pattern of current circulation in the Upper Cretaceous ocean.

Twelve stages in the crystallization of the teschenite are defined by the commencement or cessation of crystallization of particular minerals. Ocellar structures, outlined by tangentially arranged biotite flakes, developed in liquid pockets after the sill had begun to consolidate, due to the coalescence of crystalline masses. It is thought that these ocellar structures were formed by the growth of gas bubbles and that this caused the expansion and fracturing of the partially consolidated sill. It is argued that the separation of the gas phase was the result of a retrograde increase in the vapour pressure during crystallization.

A petrographic study of the sediments of Ghazij Formation, supplemented by field observations, has been made with a view to studying the environment of sedimentation in the Ghazij Basin. It is concluded that the sediments were formed in marine and fluviatile environments. The principal source area lay to the north-west of Harnai and a palaeogeographic reconstruction of Ghazij times is attempted.

The earliest monograptids are shown to appear at exactly the same time (base of the vesiculosus Zone in Scotland) as Dimorphograptus and Rhaphidograptus, and the earliest species of these two genera are those with long uniserial portions, the forms wiht shorter uniserial portions appearing in the overlying cyphus Zone. Akidograptus is entirely restricted to the premonograptid beds. One of the earliest monograptids is described as Monograptus cyphus var. praematurus var. nov., which has a distinct and earlier range than M. cyphus s.s. Lapworth.

A likely example of biochemical evolution in the nautiloids is demonstrated, based on X-ray fluorescence analysis of the Sr content of unaltered shells.

An account is given of the karst features of a given area, and ways of finding some order in their apparently chaotic arrangement. The simplest characteristic to study is the alignments of the karst features. These can be determined either subjectively (following the simple overall impression given by the area), or objectively (on the basis of various mathematical or graphical operations).

A distinction between “local” and “general” alignment by an elementary statistical-graphical method is proposed. This method is applied to the Lake Constance area, and the results are interpretated in relation to the geological features of the area. It is concluded that (a) the structural features of an area have a strong influence on the karst phenomena, and (b) there is a possibility of revealing, and even making geometrical determinations of, some geologically fundamental directions, e.g. tectonic—from an analysis of the distribution of such relatively superficial phenomena as karst features.

The Rokel River Series of Sierra Leone is re-defined, and subdivided into the Rokel River Group and the Taban Formation. The Rokel River Group consists of six formations which represent the development and infilling of an eugeosyncline, and has been mildly metamorphosed and folded at least three times. The Taban Formation contains fluvial sediments deposited after orogenesis.