Charnwood forest – misty traces of ancient landscapes

Precambrian rocks are fairly uncommon in England so I jumped at the chance to visit some with the friendly folk of Reading Geological Society. They were found in Charnwood Forest. The pattern of rocks in England and Wales is broadly one of younging to the south east. A journey from London to Anglesey takes you… Continue reading Charnwood forest – misty traces of ancient landscapes

Sherlock Holmes and the case of the detrital zircon

The October copy of the journal Geology contains a paper that made me think of Sherlock Holmes. That doesn’t happen very often. One of the fictional detective’s many skills was the ability to get important insights from the sediment found on shoes. The paper “Detrital zircon record and tectonic setting” looks at ancient sediments and proposes… Continue reading Sherlock Holmes and the case of the detrital zircon

Ecton – copper, limestone and folds

England’s Peak District is made almost entirely from Carboniferous sediments, in a broad anticline. On the outside edges, mid to late Carboniferous rocks are dominated by sandstone, with subsidiary mudstone and coal. The core is an area known as the White Peak where lower Carboniferous limestones form a gentle landscape. It’s a working landscape though, with a… Continue reading Ecton – copper, limestone and folds