131

FIELD MEETINGS

Shap Wells, Cumbria: 21st to 23rd May, 1982

Leaders : G. A. L. JOHNSON, D . S C . and R. N . KIMBER, B . S C .

Headquarters for the meeting was the Shap Wells Hote l , near Penrith, Cumbria [NY 579 097], where members met for dinner on Friday, 21st May. In the evening the leader gave an illustrated talk on the geology of the region and outlined the p rogramme for the weekend. With the hotel situated in the centre of the region to be visited, the route on both Saturday and Sunday was conducted on foot with a walking distance of about five miles each day.

On Saturday morning the party assembled outside the hotel at 09.00 and proceeded down Birk Beck to see the well exposed, pre-Carboniferous fluviatile redbeds on which the hotel is built. The redbeds consist of conglomerate, sandstone and shale in conspicuous fining-upward sequences. Ripple-marking and trough cross-bedding are well developed in the sands and suggest a braided stream environment of deposition. Clasts in the conglomerates are mainly locally-derived fragments of Lower Palaeozoic greywacke. The redbeds were seen in many exposures beside Birk Beck with a more massive sandstone member forming the fine waterfall of Docker Force [NY 586 088]. In the vicinity of Shepherd's Bridge, coarse cobble conglomerates were seen in the bed of the stream and again, well exposed, in the adjacent tributary of Stakeley Beck [NY 589 076].

At Shepherd 's Bridge a detour was made to see the lowest part of the Lower Carboniferous sequence above Scout Green. A massive bed of light-coloured arkosic grit beside the road at the bridge beneath the M6 north­bound carriageway [NY 599 075] exposed the clastic sequence above the redbeds and below the lowest Dinantian limestone. Dark mudstones overlying the sandstone are seen on the east side of the bridge and, at the road junction between the north and south M6 carriageway, the basal limestone was examined in detail [NY 600 075].

Returning to Shepherd 's Bridge, the party ascended Stakeley Beck, seeing conglomerates and sandstones near to the base of the redbed succession. The unconformity with the underlying cleaved and folded Lower Palaeozoic mudstones and greywackes occurs at the foot of a prominent feature [NY 588 075], but it is not exposed. It was here that the party had lunch. Stakeley Beck cuts through the feature in a narrow gorge almost as far upstream as Gill Farm, and the Lower Palaeozoic sequence, cut by several pink porphyry dykes, was well seen. Above Gill Farm the valley opens out , but the bedrock continues to be well exposed with greywacke sandstones, flags and mudstones much cleaved and faulted and with minor folds. There is no fossil evidence for the age of these beds which form the highest part of

the Lower Palaeozoic sequence seen on the field meeting. Comparison with adjacent areas suggests that they belong to the U p p e r Coniston Grit of Ludlow, Silurian age. After a long peat-covered interval, bedrock is again exposed in Stakeley Beck in the vicinity of Stakeley Folds. Siltstones and black mudstones to the east of the folds [NY 575 077] are possibly the local representative of the Sheerbate Flags, but no graptolites have been found to support this correlation. Further west more massive coarse-grained greywacke bands represent the Lower Coniston Gri t .

A t Stakeley Folds [NY 568 076] six red and pink porphyry dykes up to 5 m wide were seen running in a general north-west and north-north-east direction. The former direction is broadly radial to the nearby Shap granite stock and the latter are approximately tangential to the stock. The association of the dykes with the Shap intrusion of Lower Devonian age has been described by previous workers (see Moseley 1978, p . 158-9). Turning no r thwards down the watershed called Stakeley between Wasdale Beck and Stakeley Beck the party crossed o p e n m o o r l a n d with many outc rops of metamorphosed mudstones and flags that lie within the Shap granite aureole . Poorly preserved specimens of Monograptus were found here and the sequence is equivalent to the Coldwell Beds of Wenlock and lowermost Ludlow age. Joining Wasdale Beck black cleaved siltstones and mudstones containing pyritised graptolites {Monograptus and Cyrtograptus) were seen on the way back to the hotel , and represent the Brathay Flags (Wenlock) in this region. Downst ream the landscape unconformity of redbeds lying on an eroded slope of Brathay Flags was again seen [NY 578 095].

On Sunday morning the par ty left the hotel at 09.00 and ascended Blea Beck where the sub-Carboniferous redbeds overlie the Ordovician, Caradoc , Coniston Limestone Series. The sinuous outcrop of the redbeds was examined in the s tream with underlying shelly metamorphosed l imestones visible at the Spar Well and fossiliferous in terbedded ash and limestone further up stream. Strong topography on the plane of unconformity was demonst ra ted with redbeds banked up against a wall of extrusive rocks over which the s t ream forms a waterfall [NY 576 099]. Continuing northwards the party left Blea Beck and crossed a wet peaty hollow to a ridge where dark coloured andesitic lava forming part of the Borrowdale Volcanic Series outcrop [NY 574 104]. The Borrowdale Volcanic Series can be seen again in the railway cutting through the ridge which lies just to the south of Shap Summit . Crossing the railway by the foot­bridge the redbeds and overlying basal Carboniferous l imestone could be seen banked up against the Ordovician extrusive rocks at the north end of the c u t t i n g ; a l though clearly visible this section is inaccess ible . O n the east s ide of the ra i lway, Carboniferous l imestone, apparently directly overlying the ridge of Ordovician extrusive rocks, was seen in

132

small quarries and further indicated by numerous swallow holes [NY 576 107]. The limestone was seen again below Busk and nor th of Beck H e a d where interbedded dolomites and micritic limestones contain algae including Solenopora [NY 578 107]. Continuing nor thwards towards Hause Farm the Carboniferous succession is drift covered, but typical lithologies, such as the Brownber Pebble Bed were seen in the field walls [NY 580 113]. The Ash Fell Sandstone (Arundian) forms strong features nor th of Hause Farm where some 9 m of fine-grained, ra ther massive yellow sandstone bands were examined by the par ty . Crossing the M6 by a sheep track underpass the sandstone was seen again in the faces of an old quarry [NY 586 111] and it was here that the party had lunch.

The Ash Fell Sandstone lies at the top of the Arundian Stage and later the party ascended the slope above the quarry to see fossiliferous Holker ian limestones that contain silicified fossils. Corals including Lithostrotion and Syringopora are abundant with brachiopods: Linoprotonia and the index fossil Davidsonina carbonaria. Continuing to Long Scar Pike (401 m A O D ) white rubbly Asbian l imestones outcrop in a series of scarps and pavement surfaces. The normal coral -brachiopod fauna was found including Dibunophyllum, Lithostrotion and Gigantoproductus maximus. The view from the top of the fell from the Solway west and south over the Lake District hills was much appreciated by the party.

Descending southwards from Long Scar Pike the party visited a large quarry in limestones near to the Arundian - Chadian boundary [NY 594 097]. He re thick dolomites are overlain by grey limestone with shale partings which contain an abundance of fossils including Dorlodotia, Lithostrotion, Palaeosmilia w i t h Linoprotonia, Choneies a n d Bellerophon. T h e dolomites were seen again at the bridge below the M6 [NY 591096] where the origin of the many drusy cavities or geodes in the rock caused much discussion. A last stop was made at Old Shap Wells Cot tage to see an outcrop of the clastic sequence between the limestone and the sub-Carboniferous redbeds in Trundle Beck [NY 583 099]. A well-developed nodular pedocal palaeosol horizon (calcrete) in a grey shale, sandstone and conglomerate sequence was examined. The party then proceeded to the Shap Wells Hotel to regain transport and return home .

Lower Oxfordian of North Yorkshire: 10th - 12th September , 1982.

Leader : J . K . W R I G H T , P h . D .

The Delmont Hote l , Scarborough, was the centre for the meeting. After dinner on Friday, 10th September, the leader gave an illustrated talk on the sediments and fossils of the Lower Oxfordian, detailing the results of his recent researches and describing the main outcrops the party would be examining during the next two days.

O n the Saturday morning, 27 members assembled at the hotel and proceeded on foot to Castle Hill [TA 048 893], where the leader demonstrated the succession Lower Calcareous Gri t , Passage Beds and Hambleton Ool i te . The Castle Hill section was particularly important for Lower Oxfordian stratigraphy because the exce l l en t , con t inuous exposure enab led one to distinguish two members within the Lower Calcareous Gr i t : the Tenants ' Cliff Member , a Rhaxella spiculite with scattered calcareous concretions, and the Saintoft Member (formerly Ball Beds) , which is a fine quartz sand with no Rhaxella and with spectacular concretions that stand out on weathering. The overlying Passage Beds , with their medium-grained quartz sand and cross-bedded shell sand were deposited under much shallower conditions. The undulating base of the Hamble ton Oolite gives every impression of being erosive into the Passage Beds.

The party then proceeded to Cayton Bay car park and along the cliff path to Tenants ' Cliff [TA 064 848], to the section recently chosen by the leader as the type section of the Tenants ' Cliff Member of the Lower Calcareous Grit . This is also the type locality of the bukowskii Subzone fauna figured by W. J. Arkell in his Monograph on Corallian ammoni tes , and members were successful in finding good examples of the fossiliferous concretions yielding a profuse fauna of Cardioceras (Scarburgiceras) spp. The leader demonstrated how the concretions had come from levels below that of the 'Ball Beds ' of Castle Hill, yet the fauna was known throughout the literature as the 'Ball Beds fauna'.

The party then proceeded across Cayton Bay, pausing to examine fallen blocks of Kellaways Rock at Red Cliff. Lunch was taken sitting in the warm sunshine at Yons Nab . In the afternoon, the party proceeded round Gristhorpe Bay and along the undercliff to Cunstone Nab . Fallen blocks of Oxford Clay yielded Cardioceras (Scarburgiceras) praecordatum ( D o u v i l l e ) and Peltoceras spp. At Cunstone Nab [TA 1005 8285] the party examined a large fallen block of Lower Calcareous Grit showing remarkable convolution structures. Some discussion took place as to the state of the sediment when slumping took place, and as to whether the concretions were already formed and had rotated, or whether they had subsequently formed preferentially in highly folded areas of sediment.

On Sunday, 12th September the party assembled at Saintoft Grange [SE 791 893] and walked down to Saintoft Quarry [SE 796 888]. This section had recently been chosen by the leader as the type section of the Saintoft Member of the Lower Calcareous Grit. Members spent some time breaking open the smaller calcareous concretions scattered around the pit, and their considerable finds of ammonites enabled the leader to demonstra te convincingly the uniqueness of the Saintoft fauna, consisting as it did largely of Cardioceras (Vertebriceras) spp. and Goliathiceras spp.

The party then proceeded to Spaunton Village [SE 729 900] to examine a section through the major part of

133

the Tenants ' Cliff Member in its typical inland facies of calcareous flags overlain by spicular, fossiliferous sandstone with Cardioceras (Scarburgiceras) spp.

Lunch was taken by the roadside overlooking Farndale bathed in the early au tumn sunshine. The next stop was Sleightholmdale Quarry [SE 668 886]. The leader explained how this was the most westerly exposure of the Passage Beds , showing an offshore marine facies, with nests of Rhynchonelloidella in a fine grained matrix, partially bioclastic, with fine quartz sand and immature ooliths. The overlying Hamble ton Oolite could be seen cutting down into the Passage Beds in a s e r i e s of f e s t o o n s . O n t h e o p p o s i t e s ide of Sleightholmdale the member was cut out completely as shown on Geological Sheet 52.

The party then made their way to Rievaulx Moor Quarry [SE 565 892] to see a small exposure in the Riccaldale Member of the Lower Calcareous Grit displaying typical alternations of chert and sandy, shelly limestone.

The last stop of the day was in Duckendale [SE 5525 8045] to examine a forestry track section showing the fossiliferous, shelly limestone of the Hamble ton Ooli te , containing Cardioceras ss. , resting on the lower part of the Lower Calcareous Grit . The principal members which had been studied by the party to the east , particularly the Saintoft Member and the Passage Beds , are cut out. A notable find in the Hamble ton Oolite was the carapace of the lobster Paraglyphaea rostrata (Phillips). The party then made their way back to the vehicles, and dispersed after a vote of thanks to the director had been proposed by Professor Neale.

Isle of Man: 20th - 23rd May, 1983.

Leader : T. D . F O R D , P h . D .

Twenty members a t tended this, the first 'overseas ' field excursion offered by the Society. Accommodated in guest houses at Castletown, the party was only 10 metres from the nearest outcrops of Carboniferous Limestone and some members were seen hunting for fossils or indulging in a little marine biology in beautifully clear weather long before breakfast. On the first evening the leader outlined the three days' programmes and gave some background to the Isle and its geology.

About two thirds of the Isle is occupied by the outcrop of the Manx Slate. These 'slates' comprise a variety of argillaceous sediments including mudstones , grey­wackes, s lump breccias and occasional basic to intermediate igneous rocks, originally described by Lamplugh (1903). They are of Cambro-Ordovician age (Downie & Ford 1966), and are essent ial ly a continuation of the Skiddaw Slates of the Lake District both along strike and stratigraphically downwards. A sequence of units, established by Simpson (1963) and modified by Molyneux (1980), has been complexly

folded and m e t a m o r p h o s e d , with the degree of metamorphism increasing towards the axis of the island, where garnet i ferous phyllites occur. Three small Caledonian intrusions crop out at Foxdale , Dhoon and Oat lands , and there are associated Pb-Zn-Cu-Fe mineral veins cutting both granites and Manx Slates. Faulted against the Manx Slate massif are the Peel Sandstones ( O . R . S . ?) on the west coast, Carboniferous Limestone and associated basaltic volcanics on the south coast and, concealed by glacial drift, Carboniferous Limestone, Coal Measures and Permo-Trias in the north. The glacial deposits of the nor th of the Isle show some of the most instructive sections in Britain. Thus , covering an area of only 50 by 12 km, the Isle of Man has a surprisingly neglected variety of geology which can be demonst ra ted easily in fine coastal sections.

The first day was spent largely on the Carboniferous Limestone of the south coast between Port St. Mary and Langness. Exposures on the foreshore and in low cliffs give an almost continuous section for nearly 10 km, but faults and a few gaps make the establishment of the full succession (Table 1) difficult (see Lewis 1930 and Dickson 1967).

Table 1

Succession in the Carboniferous Limestone of the Isle of Man (modified from Dickson 1967).

. f Scarlett Volcanic complex > 5 0 m Bngant ian {

I Close-ny-Chollagh Format ion 57 m

Asbian { U p p e r Poyllvaaish Format ion 76 m

9 I Lower Poyllvaaish Format ion 40 m I U p p e r Castletown Format ion : I Scarlett Member 15 m

Holkerian < Sea Mount Member 6 m | Knockrushen Member 22 m

? Lower Castletown Format ion : I Skillicore Member 24m I Ronaldsway Member 30 m

Arundian ( Langness Member 24 m Cass<iy-Hawin Member 9-18 m

\ Basement Conglomerate 8 - 3 0 m

(assignations to Stages are provisional in view of incomplete palaeontological studies).

The party started some 6 km west of Castletown at Kallow Point, south of Port St. Mary [SC 213 672], where a fault-bounded outlier shows some 22 m of the Upper Castletown Format ion , generally thin-bedded dark limestones with thin shale partings resting on the top 3 m of the Lower Castletown Format ion. A n embayment on the point shows a breached anticline with a bed packed with bryozoans taken as the boundary be tween the format ions . Sca t te red small corals , brachiopods and gastropods, and a few quartz pebbles occur in the lowest U p p e r Castletown beds . The surfaces of the beds raised some discussion as to why some were

134

flat planar and others were very hummocky. At least some of the hummocks were nucleated around local concen t ra t ions of fossils and thus of secondary concretionary origin. Many beds are characterised by burrow structures, particularly showing the curved cauda-galli markings of Zoophycos. To the west at [SC 208 669] the l imestones are faulted against tightly folded quartzitic beds of the Lonan Flags of the Manx Slate. To the east, in the harbour [SC 213 673], the contact with banded phyllites was covered with thick seaweed, but some breccia was found and opinions differed as to whether this was a fault-breccia or basal Carboniferous brought up in the fault.

Moving to Strandhall [SC 237 686] very similar lithologies were seen in higher beds of the Castletown Formation on the foreshore below the farm, but this t ime with large caninid corals (including the world's largest rugose coral (?) at 120 cm along the axis) preserved in a similar fashion to those in Ireland described by H u b b a r d (1970). East of Strandhall at [SC 240 683] raised beach deposits with many limpet shells were seen partly covered by modern tufa. Nearby, faults in the limestone are marked by zones of secondary dolomitisation. These are in turn cut by Tertiary (?) dolerite dykes ; vugs with dolomite rhombs , quartz pyramids and occasional sulphides were noted near the intersections. A t the point the Balladoole Fault throws down the Lower Poyllvaaish Format ion , here mostly dolomitised.

Passing over the area of dolomitised limestones rapidly, the party encountered a series of lenticular 'reefs ' of light-coloured calcite mudstone separated by dark shaly calcisiltites. These form the lower part of the Upper Poyllvaaish Format ion by the cottages at Salt Spring [SC 244 679] and are full of fossils; in particular they include a goniatite bed packed with Goniatites crenistria. The deep narrow bay of Ghaw Gor tagh separates these from Poyllvaaish Farm and the nearby strange deposit of large tumbled reef limestone blocks [SC 244 676], A t first sight these appear to be small b ioherms but are collapsed blocks of reef limestone lying at all angles, as shown by disoriented geopetal fabrics, in a group of thin black limestones with a breccia bed. The black limestones have deformed round the fallen blocks giving a series of s lump folds. Discussion centred around the possible mechanisms for such a deposi t of disoriented ' reefs ' : collapse from a contemporarily faulted reef front nearby being the most likely.

Immediately east of the farm, Poyllvaaish Bay [SC 246 675] is floored with gently undulating black shaly limestones with occasional fallen blocks. The limestones of the Close-ny-Chollagh Format ion have been quarried in the past as Manx 'Black Marb le ' , and slabs in the old quar ry yield c rushed goniat i tes and bivalves of uppermost Dinant ian age. T h e adjacent 'marble ' works now processes blocks of Abe rdeen and o ther granites, larvikite and many o ther rocks into gravestones; discarded offcuts provide an interesting petrological diversion on the beach. So also d o the Tertiary dolerite dykes cutting both collapsed blocks and black beds .

A t Close-ny-Chollagh Point [SC 245 671] the black beds are overlain by basaltic agglomerates of the Scarlett Volcanic Complex. The base of these appears to cut across the black beds but the deformation in these due to the block deposit makes it very uncertain how much discordance there is and, as patches of black limestone occur within the agglomerates, the same type of marine sedimentation continued even after volcanism had s t a r t e d . T h e v o l c a n i c r o c k s a r e t h e h ighes t Carboniferous beds exposed and one can only speculate on the possibility of offshore Upper Carboniferous beds.

A b o u t 100 m further southeast the agglomerates give way to pillow lavas in an inlet [SC 246 670]. The party then crossed the volcanic outcrops for about a kilometre to Scarlett Point itself [SC 257 662]. Here the volcanics provide much food for thought. The Stack of Scarlett is columnar basalt possibly marking a vent. A 'great wall' of basalt has what appears to be ropy lava structures on both sides and may be a squeeze-up of lava through coarse agglomerate which has blocks of vesicular lava. The contact with the underlying limestones is a series of dolomitised reef l imestones faulted against black limestones, both cut by two dolerite dykes. The weathering of the dolomites is deceptively similar to that of the agglomerates.

Below the Coastguard lookout post, the Scarlett M e m b e r of t he Cas t l e town Forma t ion displays magnificent ' text-book' folds with one syncline having a dyke along the axis. A striking bedding plane in the core of a monocline has sockets whence specimens of the large goniatite Merocanites henslowi have been chiselled out. Near the car park abundant coralla of large caninid corals can be seen, again showing straight, curved or angular forms as described by Hubbard (1970).

The party then drove round to the Langness peninsula to see the basal Carboniferous conglomerate resting unconformably on the reddened Lonan Flags of the Manx Slate in Dreswick Harbour [SC 282 652]. The channel-fill palaeotopography was pointed out and the day concluded with a traverse of the Arches [SC 282 656], sea-caves e roded at the conglomerate/slate contact, noting a dyke which changed hade as it passed from one host rock to another . The ruins of several abortive copper mines were also seen on Langness.

The second day commenced with a visit to the Foxdale 'Spar & Gran i te ' quarry [SC 287 772] - spar in this context is vein quartz, used in ornamenting walls, rockeries, etc. The Foxdale granite of Caledonian age outcrops over about 2 k m 2 , but the old mines and Simpson's (1965) study of the metamorphic aureole have shown that the granite/slate contact slopes gently outwards beyond the outcrop. Recently much granite has been used to build the new breakwater in Douglas harbour . The more interesting locality, however, is the quarry intermittently worked at the northern end of a deep gash NNW-SSE across the outcrop. This marks the line of a series of massive quartz veins cutting pegmatite veins in partly rot ted muscovite-rich granite. The pegmatites are mostly quartz-feldspar intergrowths but they often have muscovite-rich margins. Quartz-

135

muscovite veins are also present . The rot ted granite is sometimes soft enough to tear apart with the fingers, and a short-lived venture in the 1960s used a simple processing plant to separate kaolinised feldspar for the Potteries, muscovite for roofing-felt makers , and quartz for brick-making with cement . A number of rare minerals such as beryl have been recorded but none was found on our visit.

Moving on to Peel , the next s top was on St. Patrick's Isle, beneath the seaward walls of the Castle (behind the lifeboat house on the harbour wall) [SC 242 847]. He re the Niarbyl flags of the Manx Slate are well exposed in a complex series of small asymmetrical folds, with cross-faults and a few dykes (probably of Caledonian age). Small-scale sedimentary structures demonstra ted the correct way-up of these greywackes, and cleavage-fold relationships were well seen.

Most of the rest of the day was spent on the Peel Sandstone. Of uncertain age, but probably Old Red Sandstone, these red sandstones outcrop only along the coast for about a mile nor th of Peel , with steep seaward dips. Taking the path behind the swimming pool at the north end of the p romenade , a steep descent was made into the Traie Fogog inlet [SC 251 846], where a section of some 100 m of redbeds dipping 45° seawards was examined. The lowest beds seen are red sandstones with frequent shale pellet bands and complex channelling indicating a high energy fluvial envi ronment ; this gives way to mudstones with thin sandstones and frequent mud-crack horizons, some with ripple-marks. These pass upwards into a cornstone or palaeosol, with some 5 m of calcareous nodules becoming increasingly common upwards until they merge into a l imestone. On the point north of the inlet these are overlain with gravels containing exotic pebbles [SC 243 847]. The steep seaward slope by The Stack [SC 244 849] has yielded limestone pebbles with both a Silurian (Lewis 1934) and an Ordovician fauna, which raises problems about the provenance of such a rock. A former extension of Ordovician outcrops at the Chair of Kildare north of Dublin seems possible, the only possible alternative being at Keisley in the Vale of Eden (Gill 1903).

Missing the middle part of the section, the party descended to the shore at Whitestrand Bay [SC 266 855] and traversed northwards. Despite similarities in rock types, the redbed sequence exposed on the foreshore here was thought not to be a repetit ion by faulting of that seen at Traie Fogog, in view of the frequent occurrence of cornstones developed within gravels. Ordovician and Silurian limestone pebbles again occur here , but far more intriguing are the wild structures affecting the sandstones at the point between Whitestrand and Wills Strand bays [SC 269 859] (Ford 1972). Here the sandstones show contemporary loading deformation, slump folds, slump overthrusts and even recumbent folds mostly showing a sense of direction of movement from north-west to south-east i.e. from the Irish Sea towards the present Isle of Man massif. These pene-contemporaneous deformations have superimposed

upon them tectonic disturbances including low angle thrusts and crushing, associated with the boundary fault cutting off the Peel Sandstone in Wills Strand Bay 100 m to the north-east . Beyond the fault is a much altered dolerite boss within the Manx Slate.

On the return journey to Castletown a brief visit was made to Niarbyl Point [SC 210 776] to see the crush structures affecting the Niarbyl Flags division of the Manx Slate. A short s top was also made at the Glen Rushen lead mines ' Beckwith Shaft [SC 253 778] with its ruined engine house and leaning chimney. Ore buddies and processing floors were seen and a few blocks of ore found. The adjacent s t ream course has fine sections in solifluction deposits.

The third day was largely devoted to the magnificent Pleistocene sections at the nor thern end of the Isle. Some 15 km of the north-west coast and 8 km of the north-east show almost continuous cliff sections through D e v e n s i a n t i l ls , o u t w a s h , ke t t l e ho le depos i t s , solifluction sheets with frequent cryoturbation and load structures. Their relationships have been described by Thomas (1976, 1977). A further 60-70 m of glacial d e p o s i t s o c c u r b e l o w s e a - l e v e l a n d r e s t on Carboniferous, Permian and Triassic (Smith 1931). The drifts are capped by post-glacial blown sand and pebble beaches form the nor thern tip of the Isle. The first stop was at Glen Wyllin, 1 km south of Kirkmichael [SC 309 905], where a section south of the track to the beach showed a total of some 60 m of

Ballaleigh Debr is Fan Trunk Till Orrisdale Sands and Gravels (outwash) Wyllin Sand ) . i U . , „ „ , , . . r y i ' n }with marine shells Wyllin Till J

Discussion ensued as to the mechanism whereby delicate shells of Turritella and other marine molluscs could occur in what appeared to be till and an associated sand. Immediately nor th of the track the effects of modern erosion and cliff retreat were shown by the remains of a house overhanging the cliff. Some 200 m further north the cliff showed sections in kettle holes filled with Chara marl and peaty sediments with beetle remains (Mitchell 1965). Radiocarbon dating has placed the basal fills at about 18000 years B .P .

A drive across the nor thern plain then took the party to the Bride moraine with its complex of former outwash channels , now dry valleys. A walk from Crosby farm took the party to a s teep descent to the beach at the foot of Shellag Point [SC 460 000] with cliffs some 90 m high composed of deformed glacial sediments . To the south lay the undisturbed outwash plain of the Curraghs descending gradually to Ramsey , whilst in the Shellag Cliff there was a three-unit sequence of till, sands and coarse gravels, isoclinally folded and thrust faulted. Discussion took place on how soft sediments could deform thus , and it was agreed that they must have folded whilst frozen, when subjected to push from a brief readvance of the ice margin. Thrust sheets in the basal till showed as small scarps across the foreshore.

136

While the drivers climbed back, the rest of the party walked 2 km along the beach nor thwards , noting that later sheets of till and outwash sands and gravels lay unconformably on an uneven surface of the Shellag till and its associates, representing a later but less energetic readvance of the ice. The contrast between the apparently simple undisturbed glacial stratigraphy of the north-west and the glacio-tectonised sequence of the north-east was obvious.

A t the nor thern limit of the Bride moraine section, a low cliff at Phurt [SC 468 026] shows a section in Flandrian sediments with Equisetum layers. A short drive then took the party to the Point of Ayre at the northern tip of the Isle of Man [SC 467 050], where storm beaches show an interference pat tern due to the interplay of currents from either side of the island. The abundance of pebbles of riebeckite-microgranite here raised discussion of the possible former extent of that little island in the Firth of Clyde, and how big it must have been to provide so many erratics. A few traces of the old salt works still survive; brine was pumped from the concealed Trias to feed evaporators at Ramsey.

O n the journey south a stop was made at the Laxey Wheel [SC 432 852], where the mine history was outlined (and the leader demonst ra ted that he could still get into one of the old boilers) at which point the President, Dr . Curral l , proposed a vote of thanks.

Finally a stop was made on the Marine Drive, south of Douglas [SC 381 742], where Dr . S. Molyneux demonstra ted the presence of burrows and trails on bedding planes in the Lonan Flags, suggesting that these Cambro-Ordovician sediments were not necessarily all of deep-water origin. H e outlined his palynological work on the Manx Slate, and noted that the sequence he had deduced from acritarch studies (Molyneux 1980) did not entirely agree with that proposed by Simpson (1963) as a result of his structural studies. Some re-interpretation of the structural history now seemed desirable.

The crossing back to Heysham on a deserted Manx Viking ferry, seemingly provided only for Y G S , was followed by a nocturnal journey across a sleeping north-west Yorkshire arriving back in Leeds at 1 a.m.

References

DICKSON, J. A. D . 1967. The structure and sedimentation of the Carboniferous rocks of the Castletown area, Isle of Man. Unpublished Ph .D . thesis, University of London (Queen Mary College).

FORD , T. D . 1972. Slump Structures in the Peel Sandstone Series, Isle of Man Nat. Hist, Antiq. J. 7, 440-448 .

GILL, E . L. 1903 . Keisley limestone pebbles from the Isle of Man. Q. J. Geol. Soc. London 59, 307-310 .

HUBBARD , J. A. E . B. 1970 . Sedimentological factors affecting the distribution and growth of Visean C a n i n i o i d c o r a l s in N o r t h w e s t I r e l a n d . Palaeontology 13, 191-209 .

LAMPLUGH, G . W . 1903. The geology of the Isle of Man. Mem. Geol. Surv. Engl. Wales.

LEWIS, H . P. 1930. The Avonian succession in the south of the Isle of Man. Q. J. Geol. Soc. London 86, 234-288 .

LEWIS, H . P. 1934. The occurrence of fossiliferous pebbles of Salopian age in the Peel Sandstones, Isle of Man. Summ. Progress. Geol. Surv. G.B. for 1933 , part 2 , 91-108 .

MITCHELL, G . F. 1965. The Quaternary deposits of the Ballaugh and Kirkmichael districts, Isle of Man. Q. J. Geol. Soc. London 121, 359-381 .

MOLYNEUX, S. G. 1980. New evidence for the age of the Manx Group, Isle of Man. Pp. 415-421 in HARRIS, A. L. , HOLLAND , C. H . & LEAKE , B. E . (editors): The Caledonides of the British Isles - reviewed. Spec. Publ. Geol. Soc. London No. 8 .

SIMPSON, A. 1963 . The stratigraphy and tectonics of the Manx Slate Series, Isle of Man. Q. J. Geol. Soc. London 119, 367-400 .

SIMPSON, A. 1965 . The syn-tectonic Foxdale-Archallagan granite and its metamorphic aureole. Geol. J. 4, 415-434 .

SMITH, B. 1931 . Borings through the glacial drifts of the northern plain of the Isle of Man. Summ. Prog. Geol. Surv. G.B. for 1930, 14-23 .

THOMAS, G. S. P. 1976. The Quaternary stratigraphy of the Isle of Man. Proc. Geol. Assoc. 87, 307-323 .

THOMAS, G. S. P. 1977. The Quaternary of the Isle of Man. Pp. 155-178 in KIDSON C. &TOOLEY, M. J. (editors): The Quaternary history of the Irish Sea. Geol. Jour. Spec. Issue No. 7 , Liverpool.

Mineralisation in the northern part of the South Pennine Orefield: 26th June , 1983

Leader : P. R , INESON , P h . D .

After rendezvousing at the car park in Castleton, the party, which consisted of about 50 people , travelled to Odin Gorge and Cruching Circle [SK 1355 8345]. The leader introduced the party to the general geology of the northern part of Derbyshire as well as to the various styles of mineralisation in the northern part of the South Pennine Orefield. For comparative purposes an outline of the mining history in the north and south Pennines was given.

Proceeding into Odin Gorge the party were able to examine mineralisation adhering to the hangingwall of the vein and the prominent horizontal slickensiding indicating that lateral movement was in part related to the fault movement , if not the mineral influx. In that some of the old levels and stopes were exposed, the methods of extraction of the ore were outlined as well as t h e s u b s e q u e n t p r o c e s s i n g t e c h n i q u e s wh ich necessitated crushing the ore. The same was examined across the road where fortunately one of the few remaining wheels has been preserved in its original location on the old tailings dumps. Debris from the workings and consisting of fluorite, baryte, calcite, galena and sphalerite was collected.

With the kind permission of Mr. P. Harrison, Treak Cliff Cavern [SK 1359 8314] was entered and the mineralisation, geology and history of exploitation were ably described by Dr . T. D . Ford. The colour-banded 'veins' of fluorite, known as 'Blue John ' were examined in detail, together with the natural and artificial features

137

of this, one of the few underground localities in Derbyshire which is open to the public. Continuing to examine the major mineral veins in the district, the party next visited Dirtlow R a k e [SK 1550 8215], which forms one of the most prominent veins in the district and is characterised over its whole course by a combination of lateral displacement (of unknown extent) with a southerly downthrow of some 70 m. The wide vein (known in the South Pennines as a Rake ) shows a complex system of up to three parallel or sub-parallel veins. In one section of the deep openwork, large masses of columnar calcite were noted forming a rider which the old miners had left in situ. As a conspicuous feature of Dirtlow Rake is the associated silicification, the party examined quartz-rock with idioblastic cubes of blue fluorite and chert nodules.

In a small quarry at Smalldale Head [SK 1647 8132] a pipe-vein formed close below the shale cover exposed a one metre high flat of high-grade white fluorite, together with calcite and galena. The coarse-grained crinoidal limestones and various minor mineral pockets were also examined at this locality.

Moss Rake [SK 1600 8050, e tc . ] , is one of the few veins currently being exploited for fluorite by the Bradwell Spar Co . and J. Eidson & Sons, who hold adjoining leases on the vein. With their permission, the party was able to examine a continuously exposed section of the vein some 1500 m long. Descending into the opencuts the party examined 7 m wide in situ mineralisation consisting predominantly of fluorite, baryte and calcite with minor amounts of galena. The relationship of the vein to the wall rocks and small flats were examined, as were traces of the old workings, which recent extraction had exposed. A t the western extremity of the traverse, the beneficiation process of T. Eidson & Sons was examined as well as the high grade stockpile awaiting t rea tment .

The last locality was on Tideslow Rake [SK 1605 7785], where the party was able to view one of the few stretches of vein which has not been reworked in recent times. The now grassed-over hillocks of the old lead mine with its at tendant flora were examined together with the coarse of old water channel and buddies (one of the earliest methods of concentrating the crushed ore) .

The leader appreciated the assistance of Dr . T. D . Ford throughout this field excursion. A vote of thanks was proposed by Professor J. W. Neale and the party dispersed at about 4.00 p .m.

References FORD , T. D. 1969. The Blue John fluorspar deposits of Treak

Cliff in relation to the Boulder Bed. Proc. Yorkshire Geol. Soc. 37, 153-158.

FORD , T. D. & INESON, P. R. 1972. The fluorspar mining potential of Derbyshire. Trans. Inst. Min. Metall. (Sect. B: Appl. Earth Sci.) 80, 186-210.

FORD , T. D. & RIEUWERTS, J. H . 1976. Odin Mine, Castleton, Derbyshire. Bull. Peak District Mines Hist. Soc. 6.

STEVENSON, I. P. & GAUNT , G. D. 1971. Geology of the Country around Chapel-en-le-Frith. Mem. Geol. Surv. G.B.

The West Cumberland Hematite Ore Field: 15th-17th July, 1983

(A joint meeting with the Cumberland Geological Society)

Leade r s : B R I A N Y O U N G , B . S C , M. B . D O D D , M . A . , and m e m b e r s of the C U M B E R L A N D GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY

The Chase Hote l , Whi tehaven acted as headquar ters for the meet ing, although the Waverley Hotel also housed some members . The weekend began on Friday, 15th July, with a welcome by officers and members of the Cumber land Geological Society. Tom Shipp, General Secretary of the C . G . S . , gave an introductory lecture after dinner , in which he gave a brief account of the stratigraphy and structure of the Lake District before discussing in more detail the structures in West Cumbria that affect the location of the hemati tes . Theories of the origin of these iron ores were explained briefly.

O n Saturday morning, 30 members and friends descended the shaft of the Florence Mine , Egremont [NY 018 112], by kind permission of Mr. Gilbert Finlinson, Managing Director of the Egremont Mining Company. T h e party descended into the Lonely Hear t workings, crossing from the Permo-Triassic St. Bees Sandstone into the lowest (Seventh) Carboniferous limestone of the area. Near the fault, micaceous specularite was seen to have replaced goniatites. Mr. Finlinson showed us a two-metre-wide outcrop of botryoidal 'kidney o re ' with incipient 'pencils ' . H e then led the party into a district where 'stoping' of the irregular 20-30 m thick ore-body had taken place from several levels. G o o d hand specimens of kidney ore , specularite, calcite, quartz and dolomite were collected from small 'vugs' exposed in the roof. The ore has an iron content of approximately 50-55%. Mr. Finlinson described the methods of mining this o r e , which is now produced in small tonnages for such purposes as foundry use, p igments , annealing and, occasionally, dense aggregate. We were informed that British Nuclear Fuels Ltd used most of the water pumped from the mine, and paid half the pumping costs.

On Saturday afternoon the party was led by Mr. Brian Young (British Geological Survey) to the old Nab Gill Mine near Boot , Eskdale . Members assembled at the abandoned Boot Station [NY 1756 0118], adjacent to the lower workings of Nab Gill Mine . The geological setting of the Boot area was outl ined, and a brief description given of the hemati te deposit formerly worked at Nab Gill.

Boot is situated on the nor thern part of the Eskdale Grani te . North-south trending faults are common in the area, and many carry hemat i te mineralisation. The Nab Gill Vein is along one such structure, which strikes approximately north-north-west , with an easterly hade and downthrow. The vein varies in width from a maximum of 6.1 m on the fell top (Smith 1924) to as little as 0.15 m in the deepest levels of the mine. Several minor branches diverge from the vein. The filling of the

138

main vein and its branches consists mainly of brecciated granitic wall rock and hemat i te , much of which occurs as 'kidney o re ' . Very minor amounts of quartz , dolomite , calcite and manganese oxides are the only other constituents.

The history of the mine was outlined and copies of mine plans and sections were demonstra ted. These indicate that the underground workings are much more extensive than might be supposed from the relatively modest surface remains seen today. The geology and history of Nab Gill Mine have recently been summarised by Young. (1984).

Perhaps the most conspicuous features of the mine today are the bed of the t ramway and the red spoil heaps from the main levels, but the site of the ore loading bays and the now roofless mine office, change house and smithy can also be identified.

Outcrops of typical coarse-grained granite were examined at the foot of the t ramway [NY 1753 0120] and several outcrops of microgranite were examined briefly as the party made its way up the t ramway. The first stop was made on the dump from the No . 2 level [NY 1738 0133]. From this vantage point , the main features of the geology of Eskdale were demonst ra ted , before attention was turned to the outcrop of hemati te veins adjacent to the collapsed portal of the level. Several small branching veinlets up to 0.3 m wide, on the western side of the Nab Gill Vein, here show kidney ore forming bands parallel to the vein walls, with the botryoidal surfaces facing the centre of the veins. The hemat i te here shows slight brecciation, a feature common in the Nab Gill ore .

Higher up the fell, a few metres north of the No . 1 level, the Nab Gill Vein was seen as a hematite-stained fault breccia [NY 1731 0142]. The mine plans indicate that payable ore occurred as two large shoots separated by an interval of barren ground, of which this breccia appears to be a part . Debris from workings on a branch vein to the north-west of N o . 1 level was pointed out as a source of good small specimens of kidney ore , of which several were found [NY 1731 0139]. Remnants of a branch vein were seen in the open stopes [NY 1726 0146] north-west of No . 1 level. Here the easterly hade was clearly apparent . In the opencut a few metres to the north [NY 1725 0148], a more accessible small exposure of the same branch vein was demonst ra ted . Brecciation of the kidney ore was seen to be more intense here than in the exposure seen earlier, near the No . 2 level. From the opencut , the positions of the old shafts on the N a b Gill Vein to the nor th were identified but , although at least one of these shafts is still open to a considerable

depth , no exposures of the vein can be seen at the surface here today. Specimens of kidney ore , together with a few fragments of a manganese oxide referable to romaneehite were obtained by some members from an old dump [NY 1728 0149] a short distance from the opencut.

On Saturday evening, Sir Kingsley Dunham delivered a lecture on the genesis of the Cumbrian hematite deposits, at the West Cumbria Hospital (see p . 130).

On Sunday, the party initially split into two groups, each led by members of the C .G.S . The more leisurely members began by visiting the derelict buildings and open shaft of the Margaret Mine [NY 046 171], where the Yeathouse Fault guides the ore on its downthrow side as a vein, with 'flats' in the First and Fourth Limestones (Brigantian). The more energetic members started from the old Eskett [NY 051 167] and Eskett Park mines, where the vein again follows the Yeathouse Fault. These mines have the most left in the way of old sidings, shafts, engine houses, chimneys and parts of winding gear. Their tips yielded a few tolerably good specimens of the distinctive Frizington 'blue' baryte. Both groups were able to note the course and effects of the Yeathouse Fault and an older, pre-Triassic fault, before visiting the 'Chonetes Shales marker band' in Yeathouse Quarry [NY 043 168]. Mr. Wilson of Winder Farm kindly allowed the party to lunch in a barn during a heavy thundershower.

By permission of Mr. Horsley of Croft House Farm we visited briefly the old tips of the Windergill mine [NY 053 175], with its fine range of good mineral samples. Because time pressed, we drove past the old collapses following the Kelton Fell Top veins [NY 085 185]. Most of the party then followed the path of the abandoned R o w r a h & Ke l ton Fell b ranch railway to the Knockmurton Mines [NY 093 186]. The more energetic members climbed the steep hillsides to the small tips by the old adits. Specimens of manganese oxides were fairly plentiful, but exploration of one of the open adits proved unsuccessful through lack of t ime.

Details of the above-mentioned mines, including location maps , were given in an excursion pamphlet issued by the C .G .S . References SMITH, B. 1924. The haematites of West Cumberland,

Lancashire and the Lake District (2nd edition), Mem. Geol. Surv. G.B. Spec. Rep. Miner. Resour. 7.

YOUNG, B. 1984. Geology and history of Nab Gill Mine, Eskdale, Cumbria. Proc. Cumberland Geol. Soc. 4, 269-275.

OBITUARY

J. SELWYN TURNER 1901-1983

John Selwyn Turner died suddenly at his home in Leeds on 4th August , 1983. H e had enjoyed reasonable health over the last few years and up to the time of his death was still taking an active interest in his favourite projects and corresponding with enthusiasm.

John Turner, or Selwyn as he preferred to be known, was born on 6th October , 1901 at Marple, Cheshire. He was the son of William Hales Turner, an engineer. Earlier generations of the Turner family had been pottery manufacturers at Longton, Staffordshire, and it

139

was a source of pleasure to him that he could trace his direct descent from John Turner (1737-87), one of the master potters of the industrial revolution.

He was educated at the Mathematical School of Rochester , which he left in 1919, and proceeded to University College, London. H e was awarded the First Year Prize in geology in 1920 and received his B.Sc. in 1922, having obtained First Class Honours in Geology with Palaeontology as Special Subject. H e stayed on as research student and with E . J . Garwood as Professor it was natural that his initial investigations should be channelled into the study of the Carboniferous in the north-west of England. This sowed the seeds of a life-long interest and became the topic of many of his publications, beginning with his 1927 paper on the Westmorland Pennines and the relationship of the Pennine and Den t faults.

From 1925-29 Turner was employed by Royal Dutch Shell in Mexico where he was involved in mapping Oligocene deposits and associated volcanics in the country between the Nor thern and Southern oil-fields.

Returning to England he was appointed in 1931 as Assistant at the Depar tment of Geology, University College of Swansea, and in 1932 he joined the Depar tment of Geology, University of Leeds. H e renewed his research in Westmorland, particularly on the structural geology of Stainmore and the succession in Ravenstonedale. Later he extended his interests to the Carboniferous of Ireland, notably to the reef limestones of the Carboniferous Limestone of Co . Cork, paying particular attention to the ammonoid succession.

In 1938, Turner was appointed Senior Lecturer in Geology at the Depar tment of Geology and Geography, University of Rangoon . H e often spoke of the difficulties he found there in his a t tempts to build up an efficient depar tment and to create a reference collection of fossils from B u r m a ; however , he set about these tasks with his usual tenacity and in addition carried out investigations in the nor thern Shan States. It was during this period in Burma that he suffered two major blows, one private, the other professional. His wife (Constance Hilda) whom he married in 1934, died of enteric fever in October 1940, a tragedy which affected him for the rest of his life; then, when the Pacific War began to envelop south-east Asia, he had to leave Rangoon and was never able to recover his cherished library and the maps and notes of his unpublished research in England and Ireland. He made his way to India where in September 1942 he joined the Intelligence Corps of the Indian Army as Acting Captain (later Major) and served until his demobilisation in 1946.

On his return to England, Turner rejoined the Depar tment of Geology at Leeds where he was to remain until his ret i rement in 1967. H e renewed his research in the Ca rbon i f e rous of W e s t m o r l a n d producing a series of papers on a variety of topics; in addition, he led field excursions and supervised the work of research students in the area he knew so well.

The resumpt ion of his invest igat ion into the Carboniferous of Ireland led to important papers (1948, 1950,1952) on the reef limestones of Co . Cork and Co. Dublin, and the Lower Carboniferous generally. In association with these studies he was instrumental in locating in the Irish Survey Collections in Dublin many

of the specimens figured or cited in the early Irish memoirs or specialist monographs .

It was in the early post-war period that he developed his s tudy of P a l a e o z o i c nau t i lo ids , par t icular ly or thocones , and this was to lead to major contributions on the delimitation of nautiloid genera and the clarification of their nomencla ture . The consequent co-opera t ion with A m e r i c a n , Russian and o ther European workers in this field led to his recognition as an international authori ty on these fossils.

In his later professional life Turner turned his attention to urban geology as applied to the city and neighbourhood of Leeds . By close liaison with the city authorities he visited and recorded excavations and shallow boreholes which were then peppering the city as r e - d e v e l o p m e n t and m a j o r r o a d schemes were investigated. This gathering of information, mainly from the Coal Measures , led to refinement of the map of the Leeds area. These activities brought him into close contact with the regional office of the Institute of Geological Sciences (now British Geological Survey) at Leeds , where he was a regular, if somewhat demanding visitor, thus continuing an exchange of information with Survey officers that he had pursued for the whole of his working life.

Turner will be widely r emembered for his geological achievements both as teacher and researcher. H e passed on his knowledge and advice to generat ions of students and research workers , many of whom went on to achieve eminence in their own right. In recognition of his contributions to the stratigraphy, palaeontology and structural geology of the Carboniferous of northern England he received several awards. The first was the Lyell Geological Fund for 1950 from the Geological Society; this was followed in 1953 by the Silver Medal of the Liverpool and Manchester Geological Society, and then the Clough Medal from the Edinburgh Geological Society in 1956; finally, he received the Phillips Medal of the Yorkshire Geological Society in 1966. These awards gave him much satisfaction, but he was particularly proud of his election in 1960 to Membership of the Royal Irish Academy for his work in Ireland.

Turner was a man of many talents. As well as his eminence in geology, he was an accomplished artist, an authority on the ballet and was responsible for many and varied literary contr ibutions, both as critic and in original composition where his wit was much in evidence.

H e was a man of principle and strong views often forcibly expressed but at hear t a kindly and generous man , always ready to advise younger researchers or fel low-workers , but none too happy when they disagreed with him. In his later years, his increasing deafness, which became total , led to his becoming more withdrawn and impatient with his lot. But he faced this disability with courage and determinat ion, and spent his t ime reading, and corresponding with the fraternity.

Selwyn Turner left no family or relatives to mourn his passing, but the geological world will remember a dedicated member of the profession, one whose name will long c o m e to m i n d w h e n e v e r t he L o w e r Carboniferous, Ravens tonedale , Ireland and nautiloids are under discussion.

M . A . C .

140

MEDAL PRESENTATION

York December, 1983

Presentat ion of the Sorby Medal by the President to

EDWARD HOWEL FftANCIS, D . S C . , F.R.S.E.

In awarding you the Sorby Medal the Society recognises the achievements of your career so far, with a future as promising as that of the distinguished Sheffield amateur scientist after whom the Medal is named and also of the equally distinguished Sheffield professor who was its donor . Both Sorby and Fearnsides were actively furthering our science well into their eighties which according to my calculations gives you some 30 years in which to confirm the Tightness of our decision in making this award to you.

E d w a r d Howe l Franc is , having been born in Cwmavon and educated at Port Talbot County School it was not unnatural that you should proceed to University College Swansea. There on that beautiful site at Singleton Park overlooking Swansea Bay you doubtless watched the waves breaking on the beach from your seat in the lecture thea t re or the laboratory. That was understandable , but even more so was coming under the spell of that master of both the spoken and written English language, if not the Welsh - Professor Neville George , and later of his successor Professor Duncan Leitch.

Like the majority of our generation your academic career was interrupted by the demands of His Majesty. So, after Army service, you re turned to Swansea to c o m p l e t e your s tud ies u n d e r Professor Le i t ch , graduating in 1949. With your appointment to the Geo log ica l Survey of G r e a t Br i ta in u n d e r the Directorship of your fellow Celt , Professor later Sir William Pugh, it was obviously decided that it would be good for your soul if not for the Survey to move out of the Principality to the Kingdom of Strathclyde, where you were to spend the next 13 years based in Edinburgh. It is alleged by the irreverent that , having spent your formative years in South Wales, the problems of distinguishing the volcanic rocks of the Fife coalfield from the coals you had been sent to investigate could have led you to serious conflict with the Coal Board but for your timely recognition of the fauna of Skipsey's Marine Band.

Having established your reputat ion as a volcanic man giving new insights into the vulcanology of the Midland Valley of Scotland, the Survey moved you south as District Geologist firstly in N . E . England and then to North Wales. In 1971 came due recognition of your

many talents with your appointment as Assistant Director of the Institute of Geological Sciences under another Sorby Medallist, Sir Kingsley Dunham, with responsibility for Northern England and Wales based in Leeds , until your present appointment as Professor of Ear th Sciences in the University of Leeds in 1977.

It is said that one of your first duties on arrival at the University was very properly to visit the Edward Boyle Library. You then doubtless realised how slow is communica t ion be tween sections of our learned institutions when you were refused entry on the grounds that you were not a member of the University, although of course had you applied to the Society's Librarian he would have been only too pleased to grant you borrowing privileges.

During all this t ime a steady stream of upwards of 40 publications, mostly substantial and both official and private, has given you an authoritative position in your chosen field of vulcanology and in particular of the Carboniferous. The esteem and respect with which you are held in our profession is revealed by the frequency with which you are consulted and invited to join c o m m i t t e e s of b o t h na t iona l and in te rna t iona l importance. Honours are also justly flowing in your direction: President of Section C of the British Association for the Advancement of Science in 1976, President of the Geological Society of London 1980-82.1 am sure that the award of the Clough Medal of the Edinburgh Geological Society will have given you especial pleasure.

Let no one presume that your interests are parochial and restricted to your profession. You find time to relax by working off your frustrations on the golf course, but even there work sometimes intrudes. There is a story, no doubt apocryphal, of being requested by your Director to evaluate a new compass for field work. Some time later when asked for a report on its suitability you had to admit to having lost it. No doubt this incident was responsible for your departure from the I .G.S. It was not till some years later, when spring cleaning, that you found the missing compass at the bottom of your golf bag.

Professor Francis, it is with the greatest pleasure that on behalf of the Society I present to you the Sorby Medal for 1983.