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Where are we? We will be travelling from Amroth to Derby via the route indicated in today's handout.
Handout: refer to the handout for today, which contains essential diagrams and information.
Tasks: See today's handout. We will have a couple of stops en route, as well as the usual comfort and coffee breaks.
This section is located under the east (English) end of the old Severn Bridge (M48), near Aust Services. Google Maps. Streetview of cliff
 View of Aust Cliff. Note the change from red Mercia Mudstone Group upwards into green and grey strata of the Blue Anchor Formation and Penarth Group. Image by Arpingstone at English Wikipedia
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Aust Cliff provides excellent exposure of the upper part of the Mercia Mudstone Group (MMG), which we last saw at Barry Island. The sedimentary facies are very different here - this is more 'typical' MMG, as we see in the East Midlands.
Higher in the Cliff the Rhaetian (uppermost Trias) units come in, with the Blue Lias at the top marking the early Jurassic marine transgression. But that's a whole different story, for a future field trip.....
.jpg) General view from Leckhampton Hill west to the Malvern Hills. Cheltenham and GCHQ in the foreground. Image by Nilfanion, via Wikimedia Commons |
Let's take a break from the motorway. A stiff walk to the top of the hill gives us a superb view to the west, back towards Wales. This is the western escarpent of the Cotswold hills, formed of Middle Jurassic limestones. In the distance to the west are the Malvern Hills, made of much older rocks. What have you found out about their geology?
I hope your next visit to West Wales will be a real one! It is a beautiful part of the UK, well worth exploring, and not just for its geology. If you like a scenic challenge, the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path makes for superb walking. There's more than enough to satisfy nature and history enthusiasts too.
Make sure you've completed all the work for this journey. That's the last stop for today, before the final leg of our journey back to Derby. Let's meet for today's picnic and Q & A session in Blackboard Collaborate at 5pm today (only available if you're a University of Derby student doing this field trip in real time on Thursday 30 April, 2020!).
This page is maintained by Roger Suthren. Last updated 30 April, 2020 3:49 PM . All images © Roger Suthren unless otherwise stated. Images may be re-used for non-commercial purposes.