Humberside Geologist no 11

published 1994

Geological Conservation in East Yorkshire

Mike Horne et al

All science is based on observation of natural phenomena. Chemists observe chemical reactions, biologists observe plants and animals, train spotters collect train numbers and geologists study rocks. Without the raw material to observe the science would not exist! Just as biologists are concerned about the disappearance of living species and try to conserve them, geologists are worried about the abuse and disappearance of the raw material of their study - exposures of rocks.

Exposures are needed for the science of geology to continue. They are vital for research, and even though a site may have been investigated in the past, who knows what techniques and interpretations will be used in the future? Real three-dimensional exposures are vital for comparison with two-dimensional boreholes and geophysical data. New geologists cannot be trained without visits to observe the raw material in the field. As well as this, geological fieldwork gives a lot of pleasure to amateur geologists, in much the same way as bird watchers enjoy their hobby.

In recent times a large number of exposures have been lost. Many quarries have been filled with rubbish and there are very few new quarries. The trend these days is to have a small number of super-quarries. Also some exposures have been damaged by irresponsible hammering and collecting by a small number of geologists, though this problem does seem to have diminished as the geological community has become aware of this danger.

In order to conserve geological sites for future use, important sites have been given planning protection and some have received active conservation measures. Sites which are of national or international value are designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest. In recent years there has been a major review of these sites and as a result some local sites have been de-selected. In order to conserve sites of local interest the RIGS scheme was initiated. This lists Regionally Important Geological and Geomorphological Sites and attempts to get the co-operation of planning authorities and landowners in the conservation of exposures for their geological interest.

In our area a group of interested individuals has compiled a list of regionally important sites within the boundaries of Watsonian Vice-County no. 61 - East Yorkshire. The geographical limits of the RIGS scheme were chosen as natural boundaries rather than using political boundaries, which change from time to time. Sites were chosen using four criteria : geomorpholological and aesthetic interest, research potential including type exposures, educational use by schools and colleges, and historical importance to the science of geology.

The group formed in 1992. A list of 37 sites was created and presented to the relevant planning authorities in 1994. This list has been accepted and site owners have been notified. For 1995 a series of site visits has been planned and incorporated into the Summer Programme of the Hull Geological Society. The purpose of these visits is to document the present state of the exposures and to list possible threats.

It transpires that some of the sites already have existing planning permission for landfill. Whilst RIGS status will be taken into consideration for any future plans for a site, existing permissions cannot be withdrawn. It may though be possible to negotiate with site owners and relevant planning authorities for part of the exposure to be conserved. This may involve compensating the owner for not completely filling the site, the creation of a new exposure nearby or removing some of the material to form a 'rock-store' for future use. Even if a site is lost by filling, it is important that planning authorities are aware of the scientific significance of the site, so that any future applications in the surrounding area are considered with conservation in mind from the very beginning.

Other sites are disused and overgrown. Active conservation measures are appropriate for these sites. This involves the clearing of the exposure, or part of it, and the development of a management policy with the co-operation of the owner. A policy on access is essential along with a programme of regular visits to keep the site tidy, as has happened with the Society's adoption of Rifle Butts SSSI. The provision of information boards may be appropriate at sites of educational interest.

Site records for East Yorkshire are held by Hull Museums, along with other site documentation scheme records. The Hull Geological Society and individual members donated £70 in 1992 towards the purchase of a filing cabinet to hold these records, in memory of Kenneth Fenton. Ken was the past Honorary Secretary of the Society who recognised the importance of site documentation and conservation.

The present list of sites is :-

Arras Road Chalk Pit - Turonian-Coniacian Chalk; Kiplingcotes Marls, Arras Flint and Enthorpe Marls.

Bessingby Chalk Pit - Lower Campanian Chalk; former SSSI.

Bishop Wilton Chalk Pit - Cenomanian-Turonian Chalk.

Bracken Quarry, Bainton - base of the Flamborough Chalk Formation.

Brandesburton Gravel Pits - Devensian sands and gravels.

Brantingham Dale - dry valley.

Brigham Quarry - Devensian sands and gravels.

Burdale Quarry - Turonian Chalk; Beacon Hill Marl & North Ormsby Marl.

East Leys Pit - Lower Campanian Chalk.

Eppleworth Quarry - Coniaclan Chalk; Eppleworth Flint and De La Pole Flint; also Quaternary till and head deposits.

Fairy Stones, Burdale - chalk fault breccia.

Foxholes Chalk Pit - vertical Coniacian Chalk.

Goodmanham Channel - glacial overflow channel.

Gransmoor Quarry - Devensian-Flandrian mere deposits filling a kettle hole.

Hornhill Top Quarry, near Bainton - top of the Burnham Chalk Formation.

Hornsea Mere - last of the Devensian-Flandrian meres of Holderness.

Hotham Crossroads Pits - Rhaetian-Hettangian.

Humber Bridge Country Park - Turonian Chalk; Barton Marls; former SSSI.

Kelsey Hill Gravel Pits (I & II) - late Devensian glacial outwash, yielding mammalian bones.

Kilnwick Percy Quarry - Turonian Chalk ; Ulceby Marl & Ulceby Oyster Bed.

Kiplingcotes Nature Reserve - Turonian Chalk; Deepdale Marls.

Kiplingcotes Station Quarry - Turonian Chalk; type section of Kiplingcotes Flints and Marls; site of large ammonites found by C W & E V Wright; former SSSI.

Langtoft East Chalk Pit - tilted Burnham Chalk Formation.

Langtoft West Chalk Pit - the junction between the Burnham Chalk Formation and the Flamborough Chalk Formation.

Middleton-on-the-Wolds Chalk Pit - Burnham Chalk Formation; type section of the Middleton Marl; used to be worked by hand; former SSSI.

Nafferton Grange Chalk Pit - Lower Campanian Chalk; youngest in-situ exposed in Yorkshire.

Newbold Wood Chalk Pit - Turonian Chalk; Deepdale Marls and Beacon Hill Marl.

North Grimston Quarries - Upper Jurassic limestones: Malton Oolite and Urchin Dirt Beds.

Redcliff, North Ferriby - moraine and lacustrine sediments of Lake Humber, late Devensian.

Ruston Parva Chalk Pit - Lower Campanian Chalk.

Sands Top Quarry, North Newbald - Cave Oolite, Middle Jurassic.

St. Austin's Stone, Drewton - chalk fault breccia.

Skipsea Bail Mere - dry mere with pollen record of lake sediments from the late Devensian (ca. 12,000 BP)

Willerby Railside Pit - Coniacian Chalk.

Wood Newton Monument - brick obelisk at the site of meteorite impact of 13th December 1795; former SSSI.

Following a site visit with the owner Little Weighton Chalk Pit has been removed from the list, because it is nearly completely filled. Sands Top Quarry at North Newbald has also been filled and is likely to be removed from the list.

The following sites are geological SSSIs in Humberside (which has different boundaries to the East Yorkshire Vice-County) :-

Dimlington Cliff - Tills with interbedded sands and silts

Enthorpe Railway Cutting - Chalk, including the Turonlan-Coniacian Boundary.

Drewton Lane Pits : Kettlethorpe Quarry and South Cave Station Quarry - Kellaways Sands and Kellaways Rock .

Everthorpe Quarry (aka Eastfield Quarry) - Cave Oolite.

Flamborough Head - from Reighton to Sewerby, including the type locality of the Speeton Clay, Speeton Shell Bed, a complete succession of the Chalk (up to the binodosus zone), including the type locality of the Flamborough Chalk Formation and the buried cliff.

Kelsey Hill Gravel Pits III, IV & V - Pleistocene deposits, type locallty of the Kelsea Hill Gravels.

Melton Bottom Chalk Pit - type locality of the Welton Chalk Formation.

Millington Wood and Pastures - geomorphology and biology : karst landscape.

Rifle Butts Quarry - exposure of Jurassic-Cretaceous unconformity.

Roos Bog - a complete late-glacial and Flandrian sequence.

Spurn Head to Salt Flat Ends -

Withow Gap, Skipsea - mere deposits filling a hollow in the Skipsea Till.

Some other sites are SSSIs for non-geological reasons, but are also of geological interest and may be listed as RIGS sites. These include :

Some other sites are under consideration for SSSI or RIGS status and will be included in the programme of site visits. These include :

Easington Cliffs - Tills and associated sediments.

Snevver Scar - glacial drainage channel.

Thixendale - Quaternary deposits.

West Heslerton - Speeton Clay and lower parts of the Chalk.

Please note :-

If you wish to visit any of these sites you must obtain the permission of the owner. Because these sites are of scientific importance please behave responsibly : follow any safety instructions, respect any collecting or hammering restrictions placed on the site, do not spoil the site for others by hammering unnecessarily or leaving it in an untidy state, do not collect unless you have a specific purpose and please place any specimens in the public domain when you have finished working with them.

The list of sites was compiled by Mike Horne, with the help of John Catt, Denice Leach, Kevin Page, Mick Stanley and members of the RIGS group.

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