THE BLACK COUNTRY GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY

CHAIRMAN CHAIRMAN A. CUTLER, B.Sc. VICE CHAIRMAN P. G. OLIVER, B.Sc., Ph.D., F.G.S. HON. SECRETARY D. J. WRAIGHT HON. TREASURER Mrs. E. BAKEWELL

— EW Sl-E" i ,I a S P T EI E 7

Editorial Film Night - Thursday 2.st ApKi1 It is becoming increasingly obvious that] After a late start due to a technical in order for Members to gain maximum hitch. The twenty or so members (includ- benefit from the Society's activities i a ing some new prospective members) were permanent headquarters is required. The able to enjoy two very informative colour availability of Dudley Library is films on Hawaiian Volcanoes, brought along extremely important but there are limit by Doug Bedson. 4tions when it comes the analysis and toning of samples etc, The Society has The particular volcano studied was Kilauea, been offered facilities at Aston a large shield volcano situated on the University, for meetings and it is eastern side of Hawaii, and the film important that this offer is accepted. dipicted the eruption of Kilauea 1KI one A permanent centre in the Black Country of its many vents. The gradual uplift of where a store is available, where a book its lava lake came to a peak on November and map library can be developed and where ll+th 1959 when lava fountains burst Members can Meet at all times is, however, through fissures on the S.W• slopes. essential. The Society now looks to its These incandescent fountains lasted for Members to make all possible enquiries just under five weeks reaching a maximum with the above aims in mind. height of 1,900 feet. Together with the flare from igniting gases they provided The Committee again finds itself in colourful night photography. difficulties when it comes to secretarial assistance (typing In particular). Any The lava produced was very fluid and flowed Member prepared to undertake this type of for miles before solidifying. The lava work and attend committee meetings should flowed as a river cutting a channel as it `Contact one of the Officers as soon as moved with lava-flows solidified in slack possible. regions and causing erosion in fast flowing stretches. Wren's Nest and Mons Hill In January 1960 the lava flows reached the On March 20th a very useful field trip sea and rapid cooling produced glassy lavas was undertaken. This enabled Members to and a cloud of steam that could be seen for study carefully the new sections, on the miles. Finally on February 7th 1960 the eastern side of the hills, cut by the floor of the lava lake collapsed some 200 Nature Conservancy. Some excellent feet opening up a vent into which the exposures exist with examples of all the surrounding lava flowed back. Thus ended lithologies typical of the suite of one of the closest observed Hawaiian carbonate rocks from the Wenlock eruptions. . The film showed some unusual aspects of The party was reminded, however, of the lava flows such as the catapillar track significance of, now inaccessible, movement of the snout where cindery, AA, exposures such as Seven Sisters. It is lava and ropey pahoehoe lava is dropped important that efforts are made to from the surface of the lava flow and sub- conserve all these exposures where sequently over ridden. Also the night practical. photography showed numerous small flashes occurring in the lava flow as tree, caught up in the flow, Ignited suddenly. Members reacted slowly but it was fairly Then oh t4 Leiniwardini i i hich is built on. clear a second showini-of both films would the site of the , old "Roman town of have been appropriate, : , However due_ to.,a Bravoniwn, for lunch at the local long deliberate delay between tho two hostelry. films the evening was filled and so . closed '.a very . enjo bl ` and informativa J! °. For a long time geologiats were puzzled Film Hight. (G,H.) by the rock fo ina'tions' near 'Leiritwarciine bit" this Was solved ti 1962 by Dr J Whitaker who found I evidence that 6 Associate, Membership ,.. parallel submarine channels! were out and' filled during early LettItwardine times, The importance of the B.C.G.S. appears to These are comparable with the heads of be growing if applications for Associate modern ' submarine ;canyons. ` and contain the Membership are an indication. The Society re atth' of numerous fauna including , - is pleased to welcome the following echinoids and the asteroids recently elected groupe (stai'ish for which.Leintwardine was' Benjamin Priest Group Services, Limited, famous when the quarrymen used to sell them to visitors, John Barnsley- e. : Sons Limited - 1 Tarmac Construction: Limited A brief stop was made after lunch to look East from Wigmore [oor towards ' the Thkport Limited anticlinal axis to. compare "the relation- Cn addition Johnoon Poole and Bloomer have ship of topography to geological a'longstanding membership and Wolverhampton structures. The remainder of the.after- and Dudley Brewers Limited have made a noon was spent visiting numerous quarries donation of £500. and roadside cuttings' at Mortimer Forest and. ' igmorre Road, following the succession from the Wenlock through the Elton and Field Excursion to , Sun 22nd May Leintwardine Beds and finishing with the Whiteliffe Beds; comparing the changes in About 35 members and friends wore met at rooks and fauna relative to the changing the old museum in Ludlow by Mr John Norton conditions of deposition.- (t&B.) the Curator of Ludlow Museum. -

After a brief look - at some of the fine Programme of events specimens stored at the ' museum and armed with copies of "Geology of the Ludlow, area September 4th Field trip to Birch of the -Shropshire-Herefort shire Border"' by Coppice opencast site. Morning only. John Norton MBE, FGS 1 FRES, and "Mortimer Nest Dudley Library-.9.15 a.m. or at P est Geological Trail" . by the Natie .. site" (Swan Works on B4155 Pelsall Road Oi ervaney Council, the group made its way GR 038054)- eta the first locality which ' was on private -land at Downton ' Gorge. During' the `last glacial period, the River Tome was diverted. September 22nd 'An Expedition to South by glacial deposits which forced the river. Georgia with the British Antarctic - f .' to cut through hard beds of limestvhe,_, Survey' by T Pettigrew of. Sunderland forming this very well-defined gorge,. ; A large lake occupied much of the valley In' glacial times, the shore-line of which October 6th Informal. Meeting . Dudley can still be seen. Library..

Having crossed the river we examined " -the October 15th Birmingham University Bringewood Beds which are rich in Geology Department. Museum.. Meet -at the especially the nautiloid Orthoceras and Department 2.00 . p.m.- Tea and biscuits. Conchidium knightii;''a- prevalent November lFth ' Social Evening at the 'old in these rocks. A leisurely climb up the Mill',' Wiz d.inil1 Street, ' Upper Gornal hill gave an excellent view of the gorge p 7 Dudley, 8.00 p.m. lease book ;as soon and several ' specimens were .examined as -possible. ' y and diedussed, Mr Norton then explained -. the need for the reclassification of the December 8th Members'. -.Evening.-- 'Travels Ludlow Group of rocks by Holland # Lawson in Iceland' by Sheila' Pitts.l Dudley and Nalmeley in 1958 when the original Lfbrary 7.45 p.m. Tea- and biscuits divisions made by Murohieon were found to 7.15 p.m. be inadequate. -..3.4 Re rt on visit to the Castleton Area The main feature of the trip and the reason for its success was the efforts of On Saturday 18th June, '1977,. o n "a - cool but dx r day out 'amongst the Carboniferous' rocks the party leader Peter Whitohsa.d for tics organisation and descripive olarity.(t.B.) of the Peak District. It was a pity that the spare coats in the coach were not filled. Jul 1 th Field Meeting AustCliff and ` The first stop ;was by the .Blue John caverns ; Rock Cliff Tor where the broken structure of under Ham • Despite the last minute cancellation of the mainly algal reef .w .s examined and a the coach owing to lack of support, about rs.chiopods, erinoids and 4 range of b 18 members assembled at .D ley fuseu m, . and .- bryozoans four s . At •a stream bed location travelled in convoy to the Aust Service - nearby we viewed ,a..probable unconformity , : 1 M4.. There we met our guest between the Carboniferous. Limestone and the Area on the, leader for the day Andrew ?athleson-of Edale shales. • The Bl ue John for which :this ' loca7.4ty id .renowned ws, described as -being Brtstol Muse=um. From the .service area `; it -. . by of was but a few minutes drive to the banks formed the interaction the hydro- .. of the Severn, The most impressive and carbons from the overlying Edale ,Sha3;es and Ham Tor Beds with the hydrothermals from imposing` structure of the Severn Bridge the Limestone. The Edale Shales formed ; in first greeted, us for the exposures : ;at Aunt Cliff lie ininediately below it. The deep water conditions were aeon to have Cliff section displays the Jurassic/ i.fterbedded .ironstones and traces' of Triassic Junction with 1(emper:Mar1, Tea s*alphur, , The fan shaped bivalve was found in the crumbly shale. Green mil, Rhaetic Beds (all Tries) and T)wibarella. Lower Lias (Jurassic) exposed. The lower The closed roadway at this point bore, has is 'rather indifferently exposed at the top of the cliff but the site is the evidence of the crumbly structure of the Edale Shales where the slipped and classic type section of the British bank hail Rheetic beds. These beds are divided into a section'' of the road had ,dropped about Upper and Lower Rhaetian. The former consist of. yellow •and. croam colourr d ° lime-' st4ncs , with clays. The lower beds are Above the Edale Shames _'were the graded; layers - made up of slack shales and : in of' 'sandstone • and shale of the )baa 'which bivalve fossils are common. The Tor Beds. The eotianiam of their form- ation in a large basin, by turbidity lowest of the Rhaetic Bode resting on the currents, was explained.- Ripple marks. on. Tea Green Marla is the famous-bone bed with the underside of some sandstt ie-'layers numerous fish and, reptile' remains, S- were seen, Minerals in the Kemper Marls particularly gypeum.and alabaster were impressive. -After lunch at the village pub we travelled The Party then .went -by way -of the Win,tt s to the villago of Castleton for lunch. northwards-towards Gloucester to the second also or the wealthy, fluorspar ashtrays could site of the- ally Hock Cliff on the obtained for 5 each and all American Severn,.. All the beds exposed here belong.,! for mere 'fiver.-. to the Lower. Lias, -a little • higher . in , the succession ,than those seen at bust * This After lunch the . party :set off . up the site. can only be approached at low .tide Pennine Way which followed a stream bed--''' and consequently was very.-muddy. - Never- with individual waterfalls on each bedding the-less,, everyon+n collected. ' a fair number of fossils; most popular ware the large plane of the Max Tor Beds.=,Qne expo Q .,. the strew bank showed. fossil ohar}nels F ' specimens of Gryphoa, the. oyster .known_ eroded by turbidity currents and late . colloquially as "Devil's Toonsil", which infilled with sand. . were fairly plentiful. Some members also . ' found ammonites generally in, poor condition Further up the strewn and up - the succeseion but those specimens which were pyritiseil - were the Grinslow Shales which appeared to were ^interest3r ..;Occasional stem frig- be more. of a mudetono. .Odd fronds were merits of, the crinoid Pcntacrinus wore also. the only .fossil remains in evidence. , Yet- found. further up wereh te` Kinderscout Grits which showed as 'massive sandstones with. We finally bade farewell t9 our loader at embedded pebbles. At this point It 'was 5.00. p.m. after a. most ep joyable .ay and realised' that. the- com .ttee- member r ho bead just , before the rain, started on our way suggested "a long .walk"' was 'still at hoffe the Midlands... (A,C. - -back . to in bed and the party retraced their many steps.