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| A view of Burbage Brook on the approach to Carl Wark |
On
the way to Carl Wark, Burbage Brook is seen to meander through thick
deposits of head, which occupies the wide valley floor; this
comprises loam - clay, sand and gravel – which is packed full of blocks of
gritstone and was largely formed by solifluction in a periglacial climate.
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| The Burbage Valley |
Although
mostly obscured by head, the valley cuts through the Chatsworth Grit into the
Marsden Formation - siltstone and mudstone that were formed in
marginal coastal plains - with lakes and swamps periodically inundated by the sea.
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| Shale and siltstone |
The marine bands that are found within this formation contain goniatites, which are used as index fossils to correlate strata and
were once important for coal mining in the UK. Depending on the water level of the brook
and the thickness of the vegetation covering its banks, there are various exposures of
shale to be seen; however, fossils are
very rarely found here.
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| A view of Burbage Bridge |
Seen from
Higger Tor, Burbage
Brook steepens considerably towards the head of the valley. At Burbage Bridge, there are actually two streams that converge to cut a distinct v-shaped profile - forming cataracts over the blocky scree that lies
immediately below the Chatsworth Grit...
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| Burbage Brook |
