11th & 12th July - Two independent field courses - South Malverns & Jurassic of Cotswolds

Dr. Nick Chidlaw is organising the following two courses; they are independent of each other: both courses can be attended, or either course, according to your particular interest / availability. 
Each course has a fee of £25.00 per person.
Contact Nick if you are interested in either or both.

THE SOUTH MALVERNS AND ADJACENT AREAS: a circular geological walk
Saturday 11th July 10.00 am – 5.00 pm.
The dramatic ridge of the Malvern Hills has attracted the curiosity of geologists and naturalists, and drawn walkers for generations. This field day will take you on a gently-paced, circular walk across part of the high south Malverns, and the lower ‘hogs back’ and scarp country to the west, Frequent stops will allow landforms, both near and distant, and their underlying geology to be explained, and rock exposures examined en route. A variety of igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks will be studied of Late Precambrian and Silurian age, revealing a legacy from two major episodes of plate tectonic collision and intervening tropical coral-rich seas. The walk is approximately 4 miles long, and no prior knowledge of geology or the area is assumed.

Gullet Quarry and Swinyard Hill just beyond
JURASSIC CONTRASTS OF THE COTSWOLDS: muddy rift basin seas and clear limestone shoals 
Sunday 12th July 10.00 am – 5.00 pm
During the Jurassic period (c. 200 – 145 million years ago), the North Atlantic Ocean basin was only just beginning to open between what is now the United States and NW Africa, and had not yet done so from Newfoundland and Iberia northwards. This latter area, which included the British Isles, was characterised by unstable crustal tension within which the remainder of the ocean basin would eventually open. This unstable crust, overlain by shelf seas and islands, comprised a mosaic of rift basins, each with their own history of subsidence and eventual stabilisation. The area of crust that became the British Isles at this time lay about 40 degrees N and had a humid, sub-tropical climate.  The Cotswolds are located in one of these formerly-active rift basins, and are characterised by strata that indicate repeated rifting and infilling by mostly muddy sediments in the Early Jurassic, and much greater crustal stabilisation, when mostly clear very shallow waters and the deposition of limestones prevailed, in the Middle Jurassic. No prior knowledge of geology or the area is assumed.

  Tuffley Brickpit

Leckhampton Hill Quarries
For each course, a handout outlining the day’s programme, including location sketch maps, optional reading list, geological history, and graphic / written logs detailing the rocks to be studied, will be forwarded in advance of the course to those enrolled.
Please note that for each course you will need to:
- Arrange your own transport
- Bring your own packed lunch, and any refreshments (e.g. flask of coffee, fruit juice, mineral water etc.)
- Wear strong footwear with good tread and ankle support, and have waterproof clothing with you in case weather is poor.
- Wear a hard hat (we will often be close to overhead quarry/cliff faces) – if you do not possess one of these, let me know in advance and I will provide you with one for the day.
You would be insured against accident for the duration of each course.