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| A detail of Triassic sandstone |
Having
visited South Elmsall Quarry as part of my ongoing Geotourism project, I identified two further sites that I want to visit – Higgar Tor and Peveril
Castle; however, before I could organise these, I was invited again to teach
English to students with the Heart of England summer school.
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| A general view of the old manor house |
Knowing
that I would be visiting familiar places such as York, Cambridge and Alton Towers, I was able to continue with my geological work.
Of
all of the thousands upon thousands of people who have visited Alton Towers, it
wouldn’t surprise me if I was the only person who has ever taken the time to
look at its geology.
I don’t like theme parks but, having visited it twice before, I knew that the gardens were worth further investigation.
On
the geological map, the rocks at Alton Towers are shown to be of Triassic age, formed
approximately 237 to 251 million years ago in an environment previously
dominated by rivers – sand and gravel deposited in channels and river terraces, with some fine silt and clay.
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| A view of The Gardens from the Sky Ride |
From
a trip on the Sky Ride, you can properly see the varied
topography of the site and, once
you know where to go, a relatively short walk takes you to some extensive exposures of the Bromsgrove Sandstone Formation, where the large scale cross-bedding and abundance of course pebble beds provide evidence of rapidly flowing rivers, with flash floods.
From this point, there are also good views of the steep sided valley, where the softer sandstones and siltstones, comprising the underlying Hawksmoor Formation, have been carved away by the many natural springs and other water courses that flow here.
From this point, there are also good views of the steep sided valley, where the softer sandstones and siltstones, comprising the underlying Hawksmoor Formation, have been carved away by the many natural springs and other water courses that flow here.
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| An exposure of Triassic sandstone at Alton Towers |
Although, on this occasion, I was mainly interested in exploring the natural features at Alton Towers, the ruined manor house and The Gardens provide a good example of the use of Triassic sandstone for building. The quarry source of the building stone has not yet been investigated - a programme of restoration to The Gardens is planned so, perhaps, this is another case for the Geological Detective?
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| A few views of the house and gardens at Alton Towers |
