In Stone

 

Undercutting in the dolomitic limestone crags at Stone

Arriving in Stone on the footpath from Firbeck, my first view through the hedge was of a couple of cottages, which are built in Permian dolomitic limestone with red pantile roofs – the typical vernacular style of architecture in this part of Rotherham.

 

Vernacular architecture in Stone

These are set in a wide, shallow valley that forms the eastern end of the gorge like landform at Roche Abbey, which along with places like Anston Stones Wood, Markland Grips and Creswell Crags, have been interpreted as being formed by fast flowing glacial meltwater during the Quaternary Period.

 

A view of the wide shallow valley at Stone

One of the greatest pleasures of getting out, during the continuing restrictions of the COVID-19 Pandemic restrictions at the end of March 2021, was to have a face to face conversation with people who were also very keen to talk.

 

A private path in Stone

When chatting to a couple who rented a field for their horse here, I mentioned that I was a geologist and being told that a private path led to a rock exposure – which the owners probably wouldn’t object to me visiting on this occasion – I set off along a well defined path through a luxuriant growth of wild garlic.

 

Dolomitic limestone crags in Stone

 

Before long, I came across a line of crags formed by dolomitic limestone of the Sprotbrough Member of the Cadeby Formation, whose upper section is composed of very massive beds, with solution hollows being common in places.

 

Massive bedded dolomitic limestone with solution hollows

The lowest part is composed of thinner beds that have been eroded away to leave a large overhang, which I could walk under with plenty of room above my head and, in its scale, this spectacular landform exceeds the overhang seen in Anston Stones Wood.

 

An overhang at the limestone crags in Stone

Along the length of the crags, the bedding is quite uniform with mainly massive beds interrupted by thinner beds, which are quite rubbly in nature, but the ground at the base of the crags and the slope down to Firbeck Dike are free of visible debris – suggesting perhaps that the scree formed is now covered in thick organic rich soil.

 

A view of the slope above Firbeck Dike

At one locality in the undercut beds, there is a projecting remnant of rubbly limestone, which would be obviously be more susceptible to erosion than the thick beds of massive limestone that occur above and below it.

 

A projecting remnant of rubbly limestone

I didn’t take any rock samples here and just continued to the end of the path, crossed over Firbeck Dike and sat down to have a drink and eat a very late lunch outside Roche Abbey Mill Farmhouse, before continuing on the next leg of my walk to Roche Abbey.

 

Roche Abbey Mill Farmhouse