Field Geology and Opencast Mining of Coal, South Wales

Two consecutive weekends: 

Saturday 15th, Sunday 16th, 

Saturday 22nd, Sunday 23rd October 2011
led by Dr. Nicholas Chidlaw

 Key locations include Celtic Energy opencasts East Pit (near Brynamman) on 1st weekend, and Selar (near Hirwaun, N end of Neath Valley) on 2nd weekend.  A full day in each opencast site is arranged if the course runs. The other 2 days of the course will be located at natural exposures (river sections, cliffs) / cuttings and disused quarry sections.

For further information see website All enrolments are via the University of Cardiff.
Note: this course is accredited, involving attendees agreeing to take an assessment (not onerous!) of their learning.

Highlights of the course include:
-Appreciation of the Late Carboniferous Coal Measures strata from base to top: South Wales Coal Measures Group, and overlying Warwickshire Group (Pennant Sandstone Formation and Grovesend Formation).
- Appreciation of changing environments through time: equatorial freshwater deltas, lakes and peat mires with occasional marine influxes, through dominantly river channels, to 'red bed' lake deposition under a drier climate;
- Coal seams (anthracite and semi-anthracite) up to c. 2m thick;
- Very extensive exposures (opencasts) not otherwise available in the area, of coal-bearing strata and their deformation developed at the end of the Carboniferous period (Variscan Orogeny);
- Overview of modern coal mining on a national and local level;
- Opencasting: a key economic method of coal extraction in UK today. Scale of operations, technology used, transportation, processing, markets, associated social and environmental issues, site restoration and aftercare, future, will also be discussed.  
Note: everyone will need - hard hat (can be borrowed), High Vis waistcoat/jacket, safety glasses, steel toe-capped boots/wellingtons.  The High Vis and safety glasses can be bought cheaply in DIY stores. Safety boots can also be bought at the latter. Ideally, you will have such boots already or can borrow them. If buying a pair, they would be a useful investment for any future field trips and courses you attend.