Geological Sites | Leeds
| Bradford | Calderdale
| Kirklees | Wakefield
 STATUS: RIGS
OTHER DESIGNATIONS: SEGI, designated as the Horton Bank Country Park
opened July 15th 1997
COUNTY: West Yorkshire
DISTRICT: Bradford
OS GRID REF. SE 126 308
OS SHEET 1:50,000 Landranger 104 Leeds and Bradford
OS SHEET: 1:25,000 Explorer 288 – Bradford and Huddersfield
BGS Geological 1:50,000 Sheet 77 Huddersfield (Solid and Drift edition)
FIRST DESIGNATED by West Yorkshire RIGS Group in 1996
DATE OF MOST RECENT SURVEY Visited December 2007 by West Yorkshire Geology Trust
SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION produced by Neil Aitkenhead
SITE DESCRIPTION:
Horton Bank was a reservoir built within a stone quarry, which has been
remodelled as a country park. The rock exposures on the south side
of the site give good views of two Upper Carboniferous sandstones (the
Greenmoor Rock and the Grenoside Sandstone) and the silts and shale
in between. The sandstones contain structures such as ripple marks
and cross bedding, which are easily observed from the many footpaths
which cross the site. The shale and silts contain iron nodules in places.
HISTORICAL ASSOCIATIONS:
Horton Bank was a stone quarry, which was then developed as a reservoir
with an earth dam.
 EDUCATIONAL VALUE:
Horton Bank Reservoir has been landscaped and developed into an amenity
site for the general public and provides an exceptionally good site
for geological education at all levels.
AESTHETIC CHARACTERISTICS:
The site has been landscaped as a conservation area and contains shallow
lakes with woodland and natural vegetation. The woodland will start
to obscure some of the faces in the future.
ACCESS AND SAFETY:
There is a large parking area at the site. The provision of footpaths
enables the site to be visited by students of all levels. The low faces
are accessible and there is plenty of space for large groups to gather.
All the footpaths close to the rock exposures are accessible by wheelchairs,
although there are some slopes and rough paths.
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