Geology
The Group meets at 2pm in the Edgar Hall Conference Room. Outings will meet at different times and may last all day.
This newly reconstituted group has the aim of increasing our appreciation and understanding of how the geology beneath our feet has shaped our landscape and even our everyday lives.
Initial interest was registered from twelve members in October, and the first meeting took place in the Edgar Hall on 4th November. The theme was a look at the geological history of the Mendips from seabed sediments to their uplift as part of a Himalayan-scale mountain range and subsequent erosion. During that history, our little part of the Earth’s crust journeyed, by the magic of continental drift, across the tropics and life on land evolved from the first plants to the age of the dinosaurs.
Our second meeting was to show a snapshot of the geological evidence for this story through a visit to one of Britain’s classic geological sites – Vallis Vale, near Frome. Although perhaps not the most picturesque locality in Somerset, Vallis Vale and the area around Hapsford Bridge, Great Elm and Mells has much of interest for its industrial archaeology and flora as well as geology. Our focus was on just two localities; the De La Beche unconformity (Sir Henry De La Beche was the the first Director of the British Geological Survey, from 1835 to his death in 1855) shows how the Jurassic seas of 190 million years ago first eroded away and then deposited new sediment on the Mendip landscape. At Tedbury Camp, near Great Elm, the rocky seabed on which the Jurassic rocks were laid down is exposed, so our group could wander over the seabed of 190 million years ago – possibly in the footsteps of paddling dinosaurs.
The group meets on the first Thursday of the month. We hope to follow the pattern of an indoor meeting and discussion followed by a field visit in future – depending on the weather!
Our meetings:-
March - The Jurassic in Somerset.
April - Visit to Ham Hill Geolgy Trail.
May - The Somerset Coalfieldand the work of William Smith.
June - Visit to the Somerset Coal canal and Radstock Museum.
Further details from the Leader Trevor Ryder