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| The Victoria Quarry at Green Moor |
One of the highlights of a geology field trip to Hunshelf is the view that can be obtained from Hunshelf Bank on a fine summer’s day and, having taken advantage of the good weather to enjoy our lunch here, Barry and I continued with our recce – passing the Methodist Chapel and the old school before arriving back in the centre of Green Moor.
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| A datestone at the old school |
The first stop was to look at the RIGS (Regionally Important Geological Site) in the Stoneway Manor housing development, where a public viewing point had been incorporated into the scheme, after discussions with the planning officer at Barnsley MBC. Despite a large area of the old quarry face being cleared of vegetation, the close mesh of the rock netting that was specified by the geotechnical engineer, has not enabled subsequent maintenance to be undertaken.
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| The RIGS at Stoneway Manor |
Although Barry had accompanied me and another group member Tim, on the recce for the previous Sheffield U3A Geology Group field trip in 2017, he didn’t go on the field trip itself and instead organised the opening of the pump house that is sited at the edge of Stoneway Manor; however, on this occasion, it would not be opened because he was the group leader for the day.
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| The pump house |
On the opposite side of the road, Ivy Millennium Green forms a small public garden that the group took advantage of on the previous visit, to have a very late lunch. Although we had established that we would be taking our lunch at Hunshelf Bank, from here there are good views of the scarp and vale topography in this part of South Yorkshire.
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| The village stocks at Ivy Millennium Green |
For the last part of our trip, Barry proposed that we have a look at the site of the old Victoria Quarry, which was excavated into the steeply sloping ground on the south bank of the River Don. This had not been identified during the desk top research, on which my survey of potential RIGS in Green Moor back in 1996 was based, yet it forms the most extensive exposure of Greenmoor Rock that I have yet seen.
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| A view of the old Victoria Quarry |
Most of the group members are still fit enough to manage the descent to see the principal rock exposures, which he had proposed on the walk, which display further examples of large scale cross-bedding, as well as a succession of horizontal beds where the lower parts are finer grained and have been differentially weathered.
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| Large scale cross-bedding and differential weathering |
We then walked down to the riverbank, where the stepping stones across the River Don have been reinstated, which was quite manageable on the descent; however, he then led us back to Well Hill via another footpath that I found quite demanding and which I thought would be too difficult for some of the group members.
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| The River Don |
After stopping briefly at Barry’s house for a cup of tea, we then continued down Well Hill until we reached a hairpin meander in the River Don, at which Wortley Top Forge is situated, before going to have a look at an old quarry where some of the Grenoside Sandstone is quite reddened.
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| A quarry exposure of Grenoside Sandstone |
Making my way past old cars that look like they are waiting to be scrapped, I obtained a couple of specimens with my Estwing hammer. Both are medium grained and the bedding planes are covered in muscovite, with one of the samples being quite yellow and the other reddish in colour.
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| Specimens of Grenoside Sandstone |
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