June 5th and 7th - Huntley Quarry and May Hill, Gloucestershire

'The Enigmatic Huntley Quarry' On June 5th, Hellen O'Connor, Gloucester Geology Trust, will give a talk to the Bath Geological Society about this quarry. For over 180 years geologists have been arguing over the date of the rocks of this very small quarry nestling in the side of May Hill. The quarry contains the only known exposure of the Huntley Quarry Beds. These volcaniclastic sediments, sandstones with volcanic material, have been subject to intense tectonic activity due to the close proximity of the regionally important Blaisdon Fault. This fault is very well displayed in the quarry as is the folding and distortion of the Huntley Quarry Beds themselves. Importantly, the age of the sediments is still unknown with a possible age range of 570 Ma (Precambrian, Neo-proterozoic) to 436 Ma (Silurian, Llandovery) having being postulated. The talk will discuss the sediments and the problems of dating them.
On June 7th, Hellen will lead a field trip to the quarry where the Huntley Quarry Beds and the Blaisdon Fault can be examined; there will also be an opportunity to see the newly exposed Lower Silurian Bright's Hill Quarry. Details can be found on the Bath Geological Society's website.
Everyone is welcome to attend these two events - non-members £3.00. Please contact the society on admin@bathgeolsoc.org.uk if you wish to come on the field trip but cannot come to the talk.