A level geology students at The Island VI Form have recently completed a week long residential, 350 miles north of the Isle of Wight, investigating the geology of the Lake District.
On their first day, with an igneous rocks focus, the students and geology Teachers, Simon Lloyd and Vix Lowthion, went out suited and booted in all the waterproofs to focus on the Borrowdale Volcanic group. First to Derwentwater and the jointed dolerite outcrop at Castle Head, then to the green volcanic slates of Honister Slate Mine (including hot chocolate and souvenirs) and finally the immense andesitic 2,000 ton Bowder stone.
As the week went on, wellies were essential – students walked through the rain and through swollen streams up to the granite intrusion at Sinen Gill and identified andalusite slates, coralite and sillimanite minerals and finally the high grade hornfels.
Day four and five saw a focus on sedimentary rocks and geochronology. They visited Cowraik Quarry Nature Reserve and completed some field sketches, micro studies and measurements of the dips and strikes of the Permian sanddunes there. They then travelled to the A6 Shap road cutting with 8 limb folds of slates and greywacke right next to the traffic. More sketches and dips and strikes. It was cold in Shap!
On the final morning – finally with blue skies and sunshine – they went to Schoolhouse Quarry to investigate the geochronology of events recorded in the rocks. They discovered folding, faulting and even a sill intruding through the beds.
This was a wonderful trip for the students and was well supported by Pippa from the Field Studies Council at Blencathra. Thank you to the staff accompanying the trip for their excellent organisation and for enabling this hands-on experience for the students. Next stop – mock exams!
