Geological notes and local detailsfor Sheet NZ 27 Cramlington, Killingworth and Wide Open (SI3 Northunberland) NaturalEnvironment Research Council BRITISH GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Geological notes and local details for Sheet NZ 27 Cramlington, Killingworth and Wide Open (SE Northunberland) Part of 1:50,000Sheets 14 (Plorpeth)and 15 (Tynenouth) I. Jackson, D.J.D. Lawrenceand D.V. Frost Bibliographicreference: JACKSON, I., UMRENCE, D.J.D. and FROST, D.V. 1985. Geologicalnotes and local details for Sheet NZ 27 (Cramlington,Killingworth and Wide Open) (Ne-Jcastle uponTyne: BritishGeological Survey) Authors: I. Jackson, BSc, D.J.D. Lawrence, BSc, and D.V. Frost, BSc, PhD BritishGeological Survey, Windsor Court, Windsor Terrace, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HE \ Productionof this report was supported by theDepartment of theEnvironment, butthe views expressed in it arenot necessarily those of the Departnent. Crown copyright1985 BRITISH GEOLOGICALSURVEY, NEYCASTLE 1985 2 The geology, mineral resources and geotechnical problems of the Cramlington - Killingworth - Wide Open area (SheetNZ 27) are described. Lower and Middle .. - .- . .- - Coal Heasures (Westphalian A, B and .C), -of 'fluvial and deltaicfacies, are 650m thick, with 14 workable coals. Devensian glacial sediments up to 5Om thick conceal the Coal Measures which are well known through numerous shafts, bores and mines. Coal has been mined extensively, but resources remain which could be worked opencast. Geotechnical problems result from subsidenceover shallow coal workings and shafts, many of which are inadequately documented. Weak clays and silts in the glacialsequence may also cause foundation problems . 3 PREFACE Thisaccount describes the geology of 1:25,000 sheet NZ 27 which lies within 1:50,000 geologicalsheets 14 (Xorpeth) and 15 (Tynemouth). The resurvey was commissioned by Department of theEnvironment. The area was first surveyed at thesix-inch scale by H.H. Howelland W. Topley,and published on Northumberland Old MeridianCounty maps duringthe years 1867 to 1871. A re-survey by G.A. Burnettand V.A. Eylesin 1929-34 was publishedon the New Heridian.Revision of theeastern half of the area by D.H. Land during 1960-3 was publishedon National Grid sheets NZ 27 NE and SE. There is a nemoirfor the Tynemouth district (Land1974) but not for the Xorpeth district. The presentsurvey was made in 1983-4by I. Jackson (NZ 27 NW and SW), D.V. Frostproject leader (27 SE), and D.J.D. Lawrence(27 NE), with D.H. Land as programmemanager. G.N. arown Director,British Geological Survey Xarch 1985 . 4 CONTENTS pa JC : SU?IMARY 2 PREFACE 3 LIST OF FIGURES 5 INTRODUCTION 6 GEOLOGICAL HISTORY 8 COAL IYEASURES GEOLOGY 8 Sedimentology 11 Structure 12 Stratigraphy 15 Lower Coal Xeasures 15 Middle Coal Measures 16 IGNEOUS DYKES 21 QUATERNARY 22 Rock-head 22 Quaternary deposits 26 XINEEIAL RESOURCES 28 GEOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS FOR LAW USE PLANNING 30 Coal ?lining 30 GeotechnicalProperties 32 Made ground 35 CONCLUSIONS 38 SELECTED BIBLIOGRlLZIY 39 5 LIST OF HAPS and FIGURES MAPS at 1:10,000 scale For each of four themes there are four maps,for NZ 27 NW, NZ 27 X, NZ 27 SW and NZ 27 SE respectively. The geological maps are overprinted on Ordnance Survey top.ographic.bases. Geology Rockhead elevation Drift thickness Borehole and shaft sites M. APS at 1:25000 scale Structure contours Shallow coal workings FIGURES in the text 1. Location map p.7 2. Generalized vertical section 9 3. Sinplified geological map 10 4. Horizontalsections 13 5. Quaternarydeposits 23 60 Kockheadelevation 24 7. Drift thickness contours 25 8. Made ground 36 NOTE: It is emphasized that the maps in this report shouldnot be used as a substitute for normal site investigation beforeany development. 6 INTRODUCTION The area describedin this report lies northof Newcastle uponTyne and withinthe administrative counties of Tyne & Wear andXorthumberland. It extendsfrom Stannington and New Delavalin the north to Dinnington and Killingworthin the south (Fig. 1). The RiverBlyth flows eastwards across thenorthern margin of the area in a deeplyincised valley; elsewhere relief is gentlyundulating from 30 to 78m above sea-level. Inthe past, urban development was nomore than a scatter of small villagesusually sited on higher ground and built of locally quarried Coal Measuressandstone. Coal mining, first recorded in the 13th century, slowly changedthe landscape. At first workings were only small scale near-cropbell pits and drifts.Production greatly increased after 1550 withan influx of capitaland improved technology which included railways and borehole drilling. Before1699 a railwayran from near Plessey Checks through New Delavalto the coast at Blythm Theoldest borehole record is of onenear Killingworth Church drilledin 1694 to a depthof 65mm Inthe 19th century deep mines working large areas were developed,with a consequentialexpansion of settlements and population. After1960, whenmost ofthe mines became exhaustedand the workforce moved, many of the rowsof terracedminers' houses became derelict.In the 1970'san attempt was made to arrest thedecline of the region with resettlement of peoplefrom central Newcastle andother urban areas to Killingworth andCramlington new towns. New roads were made, oldcoal tips landscaped,opencast sites restored and builtover, and new factoryand trading estates developed.The remaining large areas ofopen covntryside in d thenorth and west includelarge country estates such as Blagdonand Seaton Delaval . Note:the word 'area',unqualified, in this account means thewhole ground covered by sheet NZ 27. 20 80 I I I , . __ .. BRENKLEY c==, -.- *\* I- DINNINGTON N EWCASTLE AIRPORT Q: F HAZLERIGG Q: GOSFC TH PARK /’ I NORTH GOSFORTH 70 ?O Major roads 0 1- 2 3 4 km -.-.-.- County boundary J Fig. 1. Location map. 8 GEOLOGICAL HISTORY Carboniferousrocks underlie the area and were deposited some 300 million yearsago in the Northumberland Trough which was a regionof relative subsidencewith thick, rapid sedimentation between the Southern Uplands to the northand the Alston Block to the South, Pre-Carboniferous rocks are consideredto be strongly folded Lower Palaeozoic strata althoughno borehole haspenetrated the 500Om thickCarboniferous. At theend of Carboniferous times foldingand faulting were followedby deposition of younger strata, since removedby erosion,and apart from intrusionof Tertiary dykes together with further earth movements, the'solid' geologicalhistory of the area was complete(Fig, 3). However thelandscape continued to be modified, particularly by the QuaternaryDevensian glaciation which ended about 12,000 yearsago. Most of the area is coveredby glacial deposits or 'drift' (Fig. 5). Where these are thin or absent,resistant Coal Heasures sandstonesform topographic highs. The thickestdrift, perhaps in excess of 5h, infillspre-glacial or glacial channelswhich cut into solid rock and descend eastwards to below sea level (Fig. 6 and 7). Small streams, such as Seatonand Korton burns, meander eastwards in shallowvalleys with thin alluvial deposits. Only the River Blyth and its tributariescut down throughthe drift to expose rock. COAL MEASURES GEOLOGY Withinthe area there are about 650m of Lowerand Xiddle Coal Xeasures (Fig. 2), restingconformably on older Namurian and Dinantian strata. X11 but thelowest 5hof the Coal Xeasures crop Out. The Lower CoalXeasyres are of Westphalian X age;the Hiddle Coal Yeasures are Westphalian B (upto the Ryhope XarineRand) and Westphalian Cm Mu-- Inferred position of Down Hill Marine Band CLOUSDEN HILL KILLINGWORTH WEST MOOR metres HEBBURN FELL USWORTH Ryhope Marine Bznd BURRADON Hylton Marine Band BRUNTON QUARRY Kirkby's Marine Band RYHOPE FIVE-QUARTER RYHOPELITTLE y. -..... MOORLAND m]Sandstone -Coal .----M- High hlain Marine Bsnd ............... MarineBand b HIGH MAIN --- .. + Strata below this METAL level do not crop FIVE-QUARTER out on NZ 27 BENTINCK YARD BENSHAM DURHAM LOW MAIN NORTHUMBERLAND LOW MAIN TOP PLESSEY PLESSEY { BOTTOM PLESSEY Harvey MarineBand BEAUMONS HODGE TI LLEY TOP BUSTY ...... BOiTOM BUSTY 9.e. *. * THREE-QUARTER BROCKWELL VICTORIA Stobswood Marine Band MARSHALL GREEN :-(< GANISTER CLAY +k -.......:. ::;:.:.:.. .. 7.::::,:.:..- ?SALTWICK ............................................. ..................................... Inferred position of Quarterburn Marine Band Fig. 2 Generalized vertical section to 20 0 K KILLINGWORTH NLM NORTHUMBERLAND LOW MAIN RMB RYHOPE MARINEBAND HaMB HARVEYMARINE BAND - - - - Coal seam RFQ RYHOPE F IVE-QUARTER B BEAUMONT -L - Fault HM HIGHMAIN D DOLERITE YD YARDYD --- h’arine Band 7 d SCALE Dyke 0 1 2 3 4 krn - 1 I 1 I I Fig. 3 Simplifiedgeological map 11 Sedimentology The Coal Measures rocks consist chiefly of mudstones with subordinate siltstones, sandstones, seatearthsand coals in repetitive sequencesor cycles, with the lithologies commonly in that upwardorder. Each cycle is generally between 10 and 30m thick, and the thicker ones usually contain thick sandstones. The depositional environment was fluvial flood-plain to upper deltaic with occasional marineincursions. Coals About 3% of the measures are coal,which in this area isof bituminous rank. Of the 30 named seams, some 12 are thick enough to be mined. Lithologically, coals canbe divided into bright (softs), dull (hards), banded (soft and hards), cannel, or dirty dependent upon their conditionsof deposition and type of original flora. The seams are consideredto have formed from vegetation whichgrew in situ, in swamps which were sufficiently de-oxygenated for the partial preservation of vegetable matter. Some