THE YORKSHIRE BOULDER COMMITTEE AND ITS FOURTH YEAR'S WORK.

SAMUEL CHADWICK, F.G.S., Malton ; Honorary Secretary to the Committee for 1890,

[edited extracts relevent to eastern Yorkshire extracted from the Naturalist, first published in 1892]

The Committee, in presenting its report at the annual meeting of the Yorkshire Naturalists' Union, have pleasure in stating that although the year has not been so favourable so far as regards the number of boulder reports received, yet there has been a series of detail gone through with a view of re-arranging the method of recording, and of sytematising a more thorough survey than has yet been attempted, the general idea being to divide the county, more or less, into sections (which would be placed under the supervision of various members of the Committee, with the assistance, as far as possible, of members and associates of the Union), by which means they hope to be able to present a more detailed survey of the boulder district The boulder reports which have been received during the year have been carefully examined by the Committee, and duly forwarded to the British Association Boulder Committee, by whom they have been accepted, and presented at the recent meeting of the British Association held at Cardiff. As many of the more remarkable boulders have now been recorded, the Committee is desirous of obtaining systematised information upon the erratics of particular districts of Yorkshire, and will, in the course of next year, endeavour to obtain reports of a more connected description. To aid in the identification of boulders steps are being taken to form a collection of some of the more characteristic rocks of the Lake country. Mr. T. Tate will visit the Lake district and spend several days collecting on behalf of the Committee. Mr. Benjamin Holgate has contributed an extensive and important series of rocks from the same district very carefully labelled, the localities being affixed at the time of collecting.

 

REPORTS UPON ERRATICS IN NORTH AND EAST RIDINGS OF YORKSHIRE.

By  S CHADWICK, F.G.S., Malton ; Secretary to the Committee,

1 . A square block of whinstone. The length is 2 ft. 7 in. x 2 ft. 4 in. x 2 ft. 3 in. above ground. In the parish of Folkton, near Filey, on the estate of Mr. J. W. Woodall, Scarborough. The farm is called West Flotmanby Hall farm. Folkton is situated about five miles to the west of Filey. West Flotmanby Hall is east of Folkton about half a mile. No striations or marks of any kind, but upon the N.E. face of the boulder is the mark of the Government broad arrow. The nearest district from which it could have travelled is Kildale, in Cleveland, about forty miles west. About 150 ft. above the sea. It is situated nearly on the top of a ridge of gravel running N.E. by S.W., and rests upon gravel-sand and beds of clay.

2. In the parish of Folkton, on the estate of Mr. J. W. Woodall, Scarborough, round a spring head at the N.E. side of West Flotmanby Hall, near Filey, there are several boulders which have been collected from the Carrs; the largest is

2 ft. 6 in. x 1 ft. 11 in. x 1 ft. 3 in. Mountain limestone.

1ft 7 in x 1 ft 4 in x 1 ft 1 in  Diorite.

1ft 3in x 11 in x 8 in Diorite.

1ft 1in x 10 in x 8 in Whinstone.

1ft 0 in x 9 in x 8 in Sandstone.

All are subangular to rounded. They have all been moved to their present position. The whinstone and diorite may have come from the west, and the sandstone from the north-west; probably about forty miles distant. Height about 150 ft. above sea-level.

3. Boulder of Shap granite measuring 2 ft. 11 in. long, 2 ft. 6 in. broad, 2 ft. 1 in. thick. In the parish of Ganton, near Scarborough, on the estate of Sir C. Legard, Ganton Hall, now forming the corner-stone on the premises belonging to the Greyhound Inn. Is a large Shap boulder. It is from subangular to rounded, and is oblong in shape. There are no indications of any striae or grooving. It has been a sort of trysting-stone for generations. An old man remembers when he first came to the village, sixty-two years ago, this stone was then at the junction or angle of the road, and from this position anyone could be seen approaching the village by the highway. It was removed across the road to its present position in 1853. It formerly stood at the north corner of the village lane joining the highway. Height, about 60 ft. above the sea. The formation on which the boulder rests is composed of beds of sand to a great depth ; there is occasionally a band of rough angular flint intermixed, but generally speaking the whole district about here is a huge sand-bed.

4. At the west end of the same house are two boulders measuring

2 ft. 6 in. x I ft. 4 in. x 1 ft. 3 in. Whinstone.

1 ft. 3 in. x 1 ft. 2 in. X 1 ft. 0 in. Oolitic sandstone.

The one composed of whinstone is angular, the Oolitic sandstone subangular. Both have been moved to their present position. The sandstone may have come across the valley about six miles north. Height above the sea, about 60 ft.

5. Boulder of grey granite; 3 ft. 8 in. long, 1 ft. 8 in. broad, 1 ft. 6 in. thick, occurs in the parish of Lund, at the north end of the village of Lund, near Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire, and about 150 yards to the north of Lund Church. Subangular. There is no doubt but that this boulder has been removed to its present position, although a long time ago. No striae or markings. Probably the nearest source would be about 200 miles north. Height, about 150 ft. above the sea.

In the parish of Lund, at the north end of the village, principally in the village street, at the north side of the church, there are about 100 boulders, which are to be seen in the footpaths, foundations of old houses, banks of the road, etc. ; these are composed of whinstone, diorite, hard compact sandstone, and granite, but the majority are whinstone. The largest is about 2 ft. long, 14 in. broad, and 9 in. thick; the smallest is about 9 in. thick, 8 in, broad, 7 in. deep. Besides these are several hundreds not more than •6 in. x 6 in. x 6 in., which have been used for paving footpaths. They are all rounded to subangular. The whole have been moved to their present position. The nearest rock of the same nature would be about Cleveland in the north; probably 100 miles north. Height, about 150 ft. above the sea. Boulders, more or less small, of all sorts of foreign rocks are being continually cleared off the land about here, and broken up for roads. There seems to be only a thin covering of boulder clay in some parts, and underneath a great thickness of rounded chalk gravel with flints, etc

BENJ. HOLGATE, F.G.S.,

Regent House, Grosvenor Road, Headingley, Leeds.

Group of [ca. 100] boulders, 0° 25' 15" W. longitude; 54° 16' 30" N. latitude. Falsgrave, near Scarborough, where Stepney Road turns sharply to the right at Falsgrave. One 3 ft. 8 in. X 2 ft. 6 in. X 2 ft. 8 in., basalt; one 3 ft. 3 in. x 1 ft. 6 in. x 1 ft. 6 in., red granite. Two of nearly the same size of Lias, and numerous others down to the smallest sizes. About 130 tons have been carted away for road metal. Generally rounded, but a few are subangular. All have been moved. Striations in large boulders in all directions. They are from all directions and different distances, and represent different formations, but many are igneous or metamorphic. Say 27 per cent, various; 12 per cent, some twenty kinds of granite and syenites of different colours; 4 per cent, gneiss; 12 per cent, basalts, various ; 8 per cent, quartzites ; 2 per cent, greenstones ; 4 per cent, volcanic ashes; 12 per cent, mountain limestone; 1 per cent, millstone grit; 6 per cent, Lias; 5 per cent oolite; 5 per cent, pisolite; 1 per cent, chert ; 1 per cent, chalk flint. Height, 200 ft. above the sea, and covering an area of 150 yards x 20 yards. They are embedded in glacial drift, evidently slightly pervious. Some water must have percolated through the clay, acting chemically on some of those most easily thus acted upon. In some cases the iron has been turned brown, but there has not been a free passage of water through. In levelling the road in question in no case have they gone more than 6 ft. deep; thus all were near the surface.

The Secretary will always be glad to supply schedules for the purpose of recording observations upon erratics, or in supplying any information that from time to time may be required

Hull Geological Society 2020

 (republished from The Naturalist with permission of the Yorkshire Naturalists Union.)