Hull Geological Society

News archive 2023-2024

Copyright Hull Geological Society.

(updated 24th Auhust 2025)

Thursday 21st November 2024 - Zoom talk by Tony Felski about "The Permian Geologyof the Wakefield district".

Abstract: Most of the Wakefield district is underlain by the Coal Measures of the Carboniferous Period. The sandstone’s siltstones and coals being deposited in hot, wet and humid tropical swamps. However to the east of the Wakefield district the geology is totally different having been deposited in arid deserts and from sub -tropical seas.

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Tuesday 8th October 2024 - extra meeting -  lecture by Laura Burrel Garcia of the British Geological Survey  on "Geological Mapping of the Yorkshire Wolds Chalk aquifer"

Burdale Quarry

Abstract: 

 The BGS, in collaboration with the Environment Agency and Yorkshire Water has been undertaking a five year mapping project focusing in the Yorkshire Wolds Chalk aquifer.  The project integrates field mapping techniques including feature and brash mapping, remote sensing, LiDAR and other geophysical surveys, borehole analysis, seismic interpretation, structural modelling and biostratigraphy.

 The results of the surveys and the resultant new map has greatly enhanced our understanding and has identified a large number of previously unidentified faults. The E-W predominant fault trend in the northern Wolds is in an area of high structural complexity as the inland expression of the Flamborough Head Fault Zone, which has undergone numerous phases of reactivation. These faults are intersected by the NW-SE-trending Hunmanby trough, a graben that crosscuts and offsets main fault trend. Moving southwards in the region the main E-W trending faults transition into a NE-SW trend, likely related to those observed in the faults affecting the Jurassic sediments of the Vale of York.

 In addition to mapping structural elements, stratigraphic boundaries between the different chalk formations have been updated reflect up to date research and also to fit the modern topographic contours of the area. This has led to new estimations for the thickness of the chalk formations and their lateral variation. When combined with our better understanding of the regional fault networks and their properties will be key to determine if they enhance secondary permeability or rather inhibit groundwater flow.

 Understanding the geometry and characteristics of the Quaternary deposits overlying the chalk is also fundamental to understand factors like the rates of infiltration of meteoric waters into the aquifer. The new mapping of the Quaternary includes the distribution of head, alluvial, lacustrine deposits, and Devensian glacial till. The composition of pebbles in the glacial sediments is vertically and laterally variable, indicating a number of bedrock sources of proximal to the region, but also from the Southern North Sea, Southern Uplands and Midland Valley of Scotland.

The results arising from the new mapping are incredibly important, not only for their scientific value but also for the impact they will have in the understanding of groundwater flow. The Chalk aquifer regionally is responsible for supplying high quality water to almost a million people, and also supports an abundance of commercial/industrial needs. This study marks a milestone in the understanding of the Yorkshire Wolds Chalk aquifer and will result in a more sustainable management of our valuable water resources. In this talk we will discuss the different mapping methods used in the project and will show the preliminary results on the mapping of the Chalk stratigraphy and structure. 

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At our Roadshow at Hornsea there were displays by Jack and Brenda Almond, Lewis and Stuart. Mick Oates, Mike Horne, Rosy Barwell and Terry Rocket were the “experts” on the “finds Desk”. It was really busy up to 1pm and was quitter for the afternoon. Rich Beck helped us pack up the displays, tables and gazebo.

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Wednesday 28^th August 2024 – Evening Zoom Talk by John Connor - “Cave Oolite, Bog Iron & Pantiles: Some useful geologic products from the Southwest Wolds area ”

Abstract – The Yorkshire Wolds are rightly known for the rolling chalk landscape, dry valleys and of course for the magnificent chalk cliffs of Flamborough Head. But there’s more to the Wolds than the Cretaceous Chalk, albeit in much smaller quantities. Along their southwestern edge there are thin outcrops/subcrops of Jurassic rocks, some of which have, or have had, significant economic value. Perhaps foremost is the wonderful Cave Oolite building stone, seen in many buildings from Sancton in the north to Welton in the south – much of it in churches but also in private houses and farm buildings. Back in the Iron Age, the marshy land to the west of the Wolds – the post-glacial Humberhead Levels – yielded material that was smelted in primitive kilns to produce one of the earliest forms of workable iron. Thirdly, and stretching it a bit to call them “rocks” or from the “SW Wolds”, are the extensive Holocene clay deposits that today are used for the main British production of pantiles – that most efficient and attractive type of roofing tile, common in the east of England and Scotland. This talk will review the geology of these rocks and show examples of their use.

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Flamborough Roadshow Sunday 30th June 2024 - Report by MaryHoward with additional information from Peter Carpenter and Stuart Jones – The Rock and Fossil roadshow at Flamborough Village Hall was warmly welcomed by both residents and visitors from further away. Excellent displays, book sales and delicious cakes kept the crowds happy. The finds table was busy, with guests bringing their treasured stones to be identified by Terry on the Finds Desk. Dinostar, the dinosaur experience from Hull, brought a fascinating collection of specimens. A rich collection of rocks and fossils was also on display from members of Hull Geological Society – Brenda and Jack, Lorraine, Mary and Stuart. Brenda and Bronwen had baked cakes for the event. Bronwen and Chris sold the refreshments. Rosie and family, Elayne and Peter and Angela were also there to help. The event was busy until about 2-30pm, perhaps because visitors were wanting to watch the European Football Championship on the television? Stuart told me that it was ‘the best we’ve done’.

Thanks to all those who made today possible, and to everyone who came and joined in.

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Wednesday 5th June 2024 - talk on Zoom - John Connor on "Moughton & the Elusive Unconformity".

Abstract –

Searching for the angular contact between the Silurian metamorphics and the Great Scar Limestone.
The oldest rocks to outcrop in Yorkshire are from the Lower Palaeozoic, most of them roughly in the area between Ingleton & Horton-in-Ribblesdale, being upthrown to the North Craven Fault. The strata in these locations are highly folded and faulted - generally overlain by the Carboniferous Great Scar Limestone. This contact is often a marked angular unconformity, best displayed in several locations on the flanks of Moughton, the flat-topped hill famous for its limestone pavements, between Crummackdale and Upper Ribblesdale. This talk will feature photos taken on several hikes around Moughton, in attempts to tie down the precise locations of the unconformity. It is best displayed in the quarries on the west side of Ribblesdale, northwards from Helwith Bridge to Horton. As well as the photos, various internet images will be used to describe the history of these quarries and the uses that the Horton Flagstone was put to, in the past.

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The sun came out along with a range of prehistoric creatures on Humber Street to mark the 20^th anniversary of popular attraction Dinostar. Families thronged the Fruit Market area on April 14 where they took part in hunting in boxes of sand for tiny fossils, created mini terrariums and children had their faces painted in various dinosaur patterns. The Hull Geological Society had a fascinating display of rocks and fossils including ammonites, belemnites, pyritic rock, and even an ichthyosaur vertebra found by a HGS member at Easington in 2022. Visitors had narrow escapes from the raptor which was roaming the street, stopping only to have its picture taken with willing participants! [L Behrens]

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Thursday 14th March 2024 - Annual General Meeting and a talk by Professor Mark D Bateman from the University of Sheffield,  on "Yorkshire a land of ice and water in the late Quaternary".

Extract for Clark et al. (2022) showing the Last British and Irish Icesheet around 21,000 years ago.

Abstract –

“Ice to the right,

Ice to the left,

Ice to the front

Valley’d & laked

Storm’d at with sleet and snow,

Boldy the ice rode on.”

This summarises Yorkshire about 21,000 years ago with ice coming down off the Pennines, in from the North Sea and down the Vale of York.  As it did so rivers were blocked and vast amounts of meltwater produced creating huge lakes.  All this has left an imprint on the landscape we see today and an awful lot of glacial till.  This talk will show some of the landscape and geological evidence for how far these ice lobes advanced, the extent of the lakes and the latest dating of when all this happened.

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Thursday 29th February 2024 - lecture by Dr Anna Bird of the University of Hull, on " Why does it rain in the desert? The dust record in Tunisia".

Abstract -

Why does it rain in the desert? The dust record in Tunisia. A. Bird; I. Millar; D. Wagner; K. Fenn; R. Smedley; B. Mauz; M. Mansoura; M. Rogerson; M. Luetscher; M. Lone; N. Elmejdoub

North Africa is one of the regions identified by UNESCO as experiencing severe water stress, and further drying could be devastating for region that is also insecure. Tropical semi-arid regions, such as North Africa are highly sensitive to climate change, and climate predictions for this area suggest that this region will experience drying in the next decades and centuries. This contrasts with findings from palaeo-studies which show that, during the Pleistocene, global warming often correlates to humid phases. This project uses speleotherm records with palaoedust (loess) archives to assess the climate record over humid and dry periods to improve our understanding of past climate change in the sensitive but under-represented central northern Africa region. This presentation will focus on findings from the most important loess deposit in northern Africa, at Matmata in Tunisia.

The loess sections within the Matmata Plateau have loess and soil horizons relating to a series of humid and arid phases during the Quaternary, a sequence that provides valuable insight into the origins and dynamics of desert deposits and the interplay between continental and maritime weather systems. Previous work, in the 1990s, on the Matmata loess has shown onset of loess deposition to be during a humid phase (~70 ka) with loess deposition continuing as the climate becomes more arid into the Upper Holocene. It is currently assumed that the source of this material is the Grand Erg Orient, based on a relatively old study (1987). However, new OSL data presented here shows that the onset of loess deposition was much older than previously thought (~300 ka), with the top of the sections dated at ~24 ka. It appears that deposition was not continuous with a large gap in the record from 143 – 45 ka. Gaps in sedimentation for the section older than ~140 ka are difficult to determine due to limited reliability of older OSL ages.

Provenance analysis has been undertaken on many of the dated samples to establish past transport directions. Detrital zircon U-Pb data suggest that there is dominant Algeria-type source with some input from the north. The amount of this input varies over time with samples older than 200 ka showing a larger input from the north. ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd isotopes from different grainsize fractions tell a similar story, with a dominant west African source.

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Thursday 1st February 2024 - Zoom talk by Tony Felski on " The Geology of the Italian Part of Lake Maggiore. "

Abstract -

Lake Maggiore straddles the Swiss / Italian border with some 70% of the lake being in Italy. The Italian shores of the lake are composed of intrusive igneous rocks, various grades of metamorphic rocks and sedimentary rocks. These rocks also exhibit various structural and defamation features. This presentation shows the various rock types to be found and some of the structural features that can be seen and occasionally examined.

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Thursday 30th November 2023 -  talk by  Nemi Walding of the University of Hull, on "The  Pyroclastic Density Current Problem"

Abstract:

Pyroclastic Density Currents (PDCs) are high-temperature, rapidly moving flows that can form extensive deposits. As a PDC propagates, entrainment from both internal and external environments can decrease temperatures and introduce water vapour (e.g., exsolving juvenile magma, external hydrological factors, combusting plant matter, water-laden sediment).  As a PDC flows away from source the comminution of grains will lead to fragmentation and subsequent higher ash content. These factors are expected to affect cohesive and frictional behaviours within the flow, and the resulting deposits.

Fluidisation within PDCs plays a substantial role in their high mobility and is accepted as an outcome of excess pore pressure from exsolution and entrainment. Defluidising material may alter the profile of a deposit by remobilising grains through gas escape structures (i.e., gas escape pipes) and can cause secondary eruptions in a deposit. The ability for gas escape to reorganize the deposit will be affected by the mechanical properties of the deposit, which will include cohesion.

Experiments investigating the cohesive behaviour of analogue and ignimbrite material have been undertaken to explore how static packs of sediment respond to gas escapes under a range of conditions. Material properties including angle of repose, bulk and tapped density and fluidisation behaviour have been recorded under varying moisture content conditions to better understand the static and dynamic behaviours of these materials.

Results show just small amounts of moisture (0.25 – 0.50%) greatly affect the behaviour of analogue and volcanic material. Increasing moisture content results in higher angle of repose and minimum fluidisation velocity values. As materials becomes fluidised, cohesional variations within the deposit affect bubble and channel formations and can create vertical pressure profiles. These results begin to explore the impact of capillary cohesion and its implications for PDC dynamics, deposit architecture and validity of different analogue materials in experimental modelling.

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You can now read reports of our 135th Anniversary meetings and the memories of Rodger Connell and Mike Horne on our website. 135th Annivesrary meetings - reports and memories 2023

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Saturday 14th October 2023 - Role of Geology in Achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Joint meeting of the Yorkshire Geological Society, the University of Hull and the Hull Geological Society, convened by David Bond and David Hill. Speakers -

Natasha Dowey, Sheffield Hallam University, on Working towards sustainable and equitable geoscience for the future

Alex Finlay, X-Ray Mineral Services, on Can the UKs mining legacy provide a Green source of critical Rare Earth Elements?

Peter Styring, Alex Newman, George Dawson, Edward Platt and Hannah Handford-Styring of University of Sheffield, on Custodians of Carbon

Neil Hyatt, Nuclear Waste Services, on The Role of the Geological Disposal Facility in Achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals

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Nine members attended the field meeting at South Ferriby Foreshore. We were a little restricted on what we could see because the reed bed was well grown over and the beach was high covering previous exposures. We did see some impressive cryoturbation in the chalk gravels in the cliff and find several pieces of broken Deltoidea oysters. Many thanks to Mary for arranging the trip. (photos by John Clark)

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Some of the exhibitors and helpers at our July Rock and Fossil Rpadshow at Flamborough Village Hall

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Wednesday 21st June 2023 - Zoom talk by Niall Clarke on "The Granite Intrusion of Galway, Ireland"

Abstract -

The talk is in two parts.  The first part looks at the current ideas around the evolution of the granites of Galway and the rocks they are intruded into. These are Late Silurian to Mid Devonian age granites intruded to Dalradian and Ordovician rocks; the intrusion being associated with the closure of the Iapetus Ocean.  The second part is a virtual field trip around the margins of one of these bodies, the Omey Granite, in the northwest of Galway. The virtual trip is based on the area where I undertook my BSc mapping project in the mid 1980s revisited in 2019.  So new ideas from the literature and (importantly) new photographs!

Regarding me, although I have a geology degree, I am very much an amateur, having recently retired from 30 years in the water industry working for United Utilities in the northwest of England where my role had nothing to do with geology. I am a long-time member of the Manchester Geological Association but having recently moved to Barnsley, I  have joined some Yorkshire groups.

Yorkshire Geology Month 2023

Ten events were planned for Yorkshire Geology Month this year and eight of them involved HGS members as leaders, organisers or speakers.

The Hull G S organised the following events.

Four people took part on the walk around Hull, unfortunately there was a choir at our meeting place in Queen Victoria Square so I do apologise if anybody got caught up in the audience and missed us. We restarted our walk at Beverley Gate, waked up the side of Princes Dock then to Prince Street, Holy Trinity Church and returned via Whitefriargate. As well as examining the building stone and shop fronts we looked do to see the “granite” sets and up to admire the architecture.

Sixteen people attended the Zoom lecture by Tony Felski about coal. I n his comprehensive talk Tony took us through the palaeogeography of the Westphalian, the formation of coal, different types of coal and their uses, the history of coal mining and the nature of coal seams, the hazards in a mine and the future for coal extraction and use.

Six people went on the walk in Western Cemetery in Hull.  We looked at how the popularity of different rock types and designs of monuments and headstones has changed over time. We also took in some history when we stopped to view the graves from the Baltic Fleet Outrage of 1904 and the memorial to the 44 people who died in the R38 Airship Disaster of 1921.

Paul’s talk about Hyaenopolis had to be postponed until July.

Wednesday 20th July 2023 - by Paul Hildreth on Hyaenopolis - the tale of the site of a 120 000 year-old hyaena den and the research into its important mammalian remains”,

Abstract -   2022 saw the 200^th anniversary of the publication of an William Buckland’s opus, Reliquiae diluvianae, in which he described the organic remains of mammals from Kirkdale Cave in North Yorkshire. His interpretation of how they were emplaced caused Buckland much soul-searching and sometimes ridicule from many of his scientific colleagues. This talk aims to tell the story of the Kirkdale finds and outlines their significance in steering geological thinking.

Wednesday 3rd May 2023 - Tony Felski on “Coal – the rock that made Barnsley rock!”.

Abstract -

Thursday 20^th April 2023 – Lecture by Paul Hildreth on “The Geology and Birds of Flamborough Head”

Abstract - Flamborough Head is well-known for both its geology, offering important exposures and sections of Late Cretaceous Chalk and Pleistocene deposits, and for its birds, particularly nesting seabirds. This illustrated talk looks at the distribution of both rocks and birds and attempts, sometimes rather tongue-in-cheek, to find a correlation and show that geology is a factor in determining where certain avian species choose to live and breed.

Thursday 16th March 2023 -  lecture by Graham Kings about the Terras de Cavaleiros Geopark in northern Portugal.

Abstract -

This talk describes a visit, in 2020, to the Terras de Cavaleiros Geopark, in Portugal. Unfortunately it was just at the start of the Covid 19 Pandemic. The tour was arranged by Chris Darmon of Geosupplies Ltd (Down to Earth publishers).

The geopark provides evidence of the Variscan Cycle, which began in the Cambrian, when the Rheic Ocean formed as the Iapetus Ocean closed. In the Devonian the Rheic Ocean closed with the collision of the Amorica and Avalonia continents. Portugal provides evidence of this collision and the subsequent Variscan Orogeny.

The presentation will describe the organisation of the geopark, the findings at the sites visited and their relevance to the story of the Variscan and Wilson cycles.

Emphasis is made of the relationship of surface vegetation to underlying geology.

Wednesday 15th March 2023 -  John Connor on "The Geology & History of Point Reyes, California"

Abstract –

To the relief of some of you, there will be very little in this talk about subduction. The Point Reyes “peninsular” has a completely different geological history from the subducted/accretionary-wedged Franciscan Terranes to its east and southeast, having been transported northwards an estimated hundred kilometres or more, in about the past 10 million years, by strike-slip (right-lateral) movement of the San Andreas and related faults.  Since the SAF is still very active, is there reason to think that Pt Reyes (on the Pacific Plate) could move another 100 kms or so in the next few million years, continuing to slide north past the North American Plate … as far as the Mendocino Triple Junction ?   

As what became this peninsular moved northwards, younger rocks accumulated on its crystalline basement, such that there is now a variety of mainly Tertiary sediments there, relatively undisturbed when compared with the geologic complexities of the Franciscan Terranes. We’ll examine about a dozen locations on Pt Reyes in this talk, illustrating both the basement rocks and the overburden.

Point Reyes also has an interesting more recent history, from Francis Drake’s encounter with the Miwok indigenous people in the 16^th century, to the largest observed surface offset of the great 1906 San Francisco earthquake, to being added to the US National Park system in 1962. From the mid-1800’s there has been extensive ranching on Pt Reyes – initially for butter & cheese; nowadays for both these dairy products and for beef.

 The Felix Whitham Medal for 2023 is awarded to Patrick Boylan for his continued efforts to share his interest in local geology especially the Quaternary, in particular his recent talks about Kirkdale Cave and the Neanderthals.

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