On a bright Summer’s day with a moderate easterly breeze, thirteen interested parties met near Bouby to explore the former alum quarries which once operated here.
The group gather in a lay-by close to Boulby Mine.
The view looking east from Boulby Bank showing part of Boulby village (foreground), Cowbar Nab (center), and Staithes (right center).
The [...]
Make your way across the beck and follow the Cleveland Way up the steep, stepped path and then eastwards where there is a view of the Old Gut dock (marked 1 on the plan). Pass the path down to the shore at NZ 725 198 and North Warren Cottage (Tile Sheds). (2 cisterns (2) are missed unless one deviates along the coastal path). At NZ 735 197 fork left off the Cleveland Way to go down the track in to the quarries.
The alum works was started in the mid-17th century and closed in about 1860. There was a major redevelopment about 1800 when a new alum house was constructed by Hummersea beach. The history and industrial archaeology of the alum works has received much attention in recent years and, in particular, there is the major survey by English Heritage (Hunt et al. 2004). The main sites are included in the mini-geotrail.
View the geomorphology of this area (much of which has now been donated to Tees Valley Wildlife Trust. The scarp line of Saltwick Sandstone is set back from the coast and is paralleled underground by the subcrop of the Cleveland Ironstone Formation (see the geological map). The, therefore, deep embayment is infilled by till that is much landslipped on the seawards side. The Snailah Ponds, still shown on modern maps, are said to have been infilled by material from Boulby Potash Mine development.
Boulby Quarry and the sea cliffs beneath (making use of the tracks down to the shore) are where several 19th century and, more recently, geologists such as Chowns made measured sections. That by Lewis Hunton (1836) is the most notable as he independently recognized the importance of collecting fossils in-situ, and relating the fossils found to the beds in which they occur bolstering the emerging concept of biostratigraphy.
On a gloriously sunny Monday, thirty-seven ramblers and local historians met at the foot of the Abbey steps in Whitby to explore the history of the port.
View of East and West Piers from the Abbey steps.
A small crowd of interested parties gather at the foot of the Abbey steps prior to the walk.
At the foot [...]
Introduction
Column showing Formations making up the Middle Jurassic of the Tees Valley.
Following the marine conditions of the Lower Jurassic, transition to the Middle Jurassic is marked by extensive uplift and erosion of the local land surface producing a patchwork of different environments. During this episode [...]
At 10:30 on 18th November 2010, thirty-one ramblers gathered at the Fox & Hounds public house, Slapewath for a walk in Guisborough Forest to explore its former industrial heritage and geology. The weather was Autumnal with moderate visibility and a southerly breeze.
The group assemble outside the Fox and Hounds public house at Slapewath.
On the way [...]
Eighteen people met at the car park in Skinningrove on a bright and breezy August morning to take a walk along the foreshore to the remains of Hummersea alum house and back over the cliff top on the Cleveland Way.
Discussing and searching for the abundant fossils able to be found on the scar.
The group consider [...]
GEOLOGICAL TIMESCALE
Shown below is a representation of the rocks underlying the Tees Valley and Darlington districts in Northeast England. The diagram depicts the relative thickness of the different systems. Absolute ages are given alongside. Click on the different areas to view more details about a particular time period.
Geological column showing the relative thickness and absolute [...]