Geological Sites | Leeds
| Bradford | Calderdale
| Kirklees | Wakefield
 STATUS:
Local Geological Site
OTHER DESIGNATIONS:
COUNTY: West Yorkshire
DISTRICT: Calderdale
OS GRID REF. SE 052 238
OS 1:50,000 Landranger 104 Leeds and Bradford
OS 1:25,000 Explorer OL 21 South Pennines
BGS 1:50,000 Sheet 77 Huddersfield (Solid and Drift)
FIRST DESIGNATED by West Yorkshire LGS Group in 1996
MOST RECENT SURVEY by West Yorkshire Geology Trust October 2007
DESIGNATION SHEET UPDATED August 2009
SITE DESCRIPTION:
Exposures of Upper Carboniferous East Carlton Grit (Scotland Flags)
are revealed in two
quarry faces overlooking the Calder Valley. The characteristic flaggy
bedding of the
strata is seen towards the top of the exposure, with sand bodies and
deformation features
forming the lower areas of the site. A complete cross bedding set is
visible near the top
of one of the quarry faces. Two types of plant fossils can be found
in blocks of fallen
rock.
HISTORICAL ASSOCIATIONS:
In the Huddersfield and Halifax memoir 1930 the quarry is recorded
as exposing 45 feet
of medium-grained massive sandstone, which suggests that it was still
working at that
time.
 EDUCATIONAL
VALUE:
This is a good site for higher level students to study and interpret
channel sand bodies and
soft sediment deformational features. It is described in Wignall
and Maynard (reference
below, p138) as an excellent exposure of the central 15m of the
Scotland Flags developed
in a river sand body.
The relationship between the underlying strata and topography is
revealed in the stepped
valley sides of this part of Calderdale
AESTHETIC CHARACTERISTICS:
The quarry is in woodland, which does not obscure the rock faces,
but the views to the
north across the Calder valley are limited. In some places the
base of the quarry is
covered with debris thrown over from the cemetery above.
ACCESS AND SAFETY:
There is a small car park at the entrance to the cemetery. Access
to the site is along the
tarmac path to the east of the cemetery, which curves to the
west into a wide footpath
through the woods, which could be used by wheelchairs. The quarry
faces are at the top
of the slope, so do not take the footpaths which lead down to
the valley floor. The site
can also be reached by a footpath from the valley floor.
The slopes surrounding
the site are steep and slippery and care is required. The site is
overgrown in places but the rock faces are accessible. Hard hats
should be worn if the
face is approached, though there are plenty of fallen blocks
in front of the face which are
available for close study.
|
