Geological Sites | Leeds
| Bradford | Calderdale
| Kirklees | Wakefield
 STATUS: RIGS
OTHER DESIGNATIONS:
COUNTY: West Yorkshire
DISTRICT: Kirklees
OS GRID REF. SE 250 223
OS 1:50,000 Landranger 104 Leeds and Bradford
OS 1:25,000 EXPLORER 288 Bradford and Huddersfield
BGS 1:50,000 Sheet 77 Huddersfield
FIRST DESIGNATED by West Yorkshire RIGS Group in 1996
DATE OF MOST RECENT SURVEY November 2007 by West Yorkshire Geology Trust
SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION from Ian Chisholm
SITE DESCRIPTION:
Caulms Wood quarry has a 50m long face of Upper Carboniferous sandstone
called the Thornhill Rock. The face is steep and about 10m high, with
large, shallow, rounded caves due to the weathering of iron-rich sandstones.
There are thin coal seams and a seat earth, as well as various sedimentary
structures such as cross-bedding and ripple bedding.
HISTORICAL ASSOCIATIONS:
Used for building stones, with the waste being crushed for aggregate.
 EDUCATIONAL VALUE:
This quarry is suitable for all types of groups. For junior children,
there is easy access to sandstones, with features of weathering, rock
textures and the coal seam. At GCSE level, the rock types and structures
can be used and this is an example of a coal cyclothem. At A-level
stratigraphic logging can be undertaken, leading to a discussion of
environments of deposition in the Upper Carboniferous period.
AESTHETIC CHARACTERISTICS:
The site is part of Festival Park, Dewsbury, which is a landscaped quarry
site, with flowers beds, sculptures and footpaths.
The quarry face is hidden behind trees planted on quarry tip and is very
much spoilt by graffiti.
There are good views over Dewsbury town centre and to the west.
ACCESS AND SAFETY:
There is parking off A653, Dewsbury-Leeds Road for 10/12 cars. Walk to
top of Festival Park (about 200m). The quarry can be reached by wheelchairs,
though access to all the faces would be difficult as the paths are
rough. The face appears safe, but the south end of the quarry may need
checking by experts. As the quarry face is shielded from the rest of
the park by dense trees, it would be better if geologists visit it
in groups, rather than alone.
|
