Exploring the River Wear-Part 1
Armchair Adventurers Explore The River Wear G eog rap Part 1 from the Pennines to the outskirts of Durham hy A period. On the sea bed a limy ooze full of the rch y aeo eolog log G decaying skeletons of sea creatures built up. y Rivers washed down sand and gravel building His up deltas, and forests flourished on the deltas tory and swampy margins. Periodically the seas rose, drowned the deltas and forests and more Geology ooze was deposited; then sea levels dropped The River Wear rises in the North Pennines and and the deltas and forests returned. This cycle flows in an easterly direction to empty in the with compression gave rise to sedimentary North Sea at Sunderland. Weardale is in an rocks. The oozes became limestone, the sands, gravels and muds became shale and sandstone, and the forests became coal. Limestone and sandstone are resistant to erosion, whereas the softer shales wear away more easily. This contrast has produced the terraced hillsides which are characteristic of the whole area and the hard limestone outcrops form waterfalls created by the erosion. area designated for it’s Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is also a UNESCO Global Geopark. A Geopark is a place of outstanding geological heritage which is used to support sustainable development through conservation, education, interpretation and nature tourism. High Force Waterfall Limestone is the dominant rock in Upper The landscape has evolved over 500 million Weardale. Its main constituent, calcium years. During that time the valley has been carbonate, is soluble in rainwater which is liquid molten rock, desert,tropical sea,swamps, acidic and has eroded it to form sink holes, and an ice sheet.
[Show full text]