Year 12 Geology
Fieldwork 2014
Canon Slade Geology Department
Name………………………………………………………………………………
1
2
Regional Geology Map of
Northern England
Day 1 Ingleton Day
Aims:
1.
Record observations on the changes in rock type and mineralogy in the Ingleton area on a
field map and field notebook.
2. Trace and determine a fold structure using strike and dip measurements.
3. Make a summary geological map of the Ingleton area to show the boundaries of the
different rocks and structures present.
4. See at first hand, and explain, how unconformities are formed.
The area you are visiting today is known as the Ingleton Inlier (an area of older rocks
surrounded by much younger rocks). We will be observing the rocks and structures in this area
by following the Ingleton Glens Waterfall Walk as shown in the map below. The Twiss and Doe
Rivers have eroded through younger Carboniferous limestones to expose the much older rocks
of Lower Palaeozoic age (Yorkshire's oldest rocks to date).
3
75000
74000
4
69500
70000
Working out the puzzle from the past: Reflective Questions
1. At site one in Swilla Glen which way did the rocks dip and by how much?
Dip Direction………………………
Angle………………………..
2. What lithology are the rocks at sites one and 2?...................................
 You can now colour in your first outcrop and add your structural data, Sir will show you
how.
3. At site two in Swilla Glen which way did the rocks dip and by how much?
Dip Direction………………………
Angle………………………..
 Add this structural data to your map
4. What type of fold do you cross as you walk from sites one to two?...........................................
5. Using a dashed line you can now add the fold axial plane trace to the map.
7. What force must have caused this fold?............................. and from which directions? .......-……
8. Explain the features of geological interest at site 3?

No add any structural and lithological information to your map.
9. What type of rocks are exposed at site four?.............................................
10. What might have caused a change in lithology between here and locality three?......................
11. What evidence did you record in your notebook for the answer to question 10?
12. What lithology outcrops at the quarry at site five?.................................................
13. Explain how these rocks were originally deposited?
14. What evidence is there of tectonic movement in these rocks since deposition?
15. Explain with a diagram the type of geological structure seen in these rocks?
5

Now add the lithologies and structural data to site five.
16. What would the use of these quarried rocks have been?..........................................
17. What lithology outcrops at locality six and seven?.......................... Now add it to the map along
with any structural data.
18. On Cookoo Island, site 8 what sedimentary structures did you notice?
19. How were they formed and what type of sequence do they represent?
20. Are these rocks the correct way-up?

You can now add the structural data and lithology information to your map for site eight.
21. What rock type occurs at site nine?.................................. How can you be sure?..............................
What is its dip…………………………………………………
22. If you look at the map a spring line occurs at about 225m on the over side of the valley
(east). Using your knowledge of site 9 and site 8 can you explain the presence of the spring
line? - A sketch will help.

You can now mark any lithological and structural data on the map for site nine.
23. Look at your sketch you made of Thornton Force from site ten. What do you notice about
the rocks above and below?
24. What type of geological structure is this and how can you be even more certain (use the
information you gained from going behind the waterfall i.e. what was found directly above the
vertically dipping rocks?)
25. What does the boundary between the two rocks represent (2 things)
6
If the conglomerate above the steeply dipping rocks represent the beach deposits of a
transgressing sea during sea level rise, what must the rock below once have been?
26. Explain the full order of events that must have formed this feature.
27. What lithology is exposed at site 11……………………………? Finally add it and any structural data
to your map.
28. In the space below, or at the side of the map, make a stratigraphic column to represent the
order of deposition of the rocks. If the rocks are of a different age then the boxes don’t
follow on and are shown by a wavy line (unconformity). Make a key below for structural data too.
29. At Raven Ray, just above site nine there is an exposure of a terminal moraine at the head of
Kingsdale at the end of the last Pleistocene Glaciation (10, 000 years ago).
Explain what effect this had on the drainage of the River Twiss and the formation of Thornton
Force and the Gorge (Glen) it left to the South.
Some common symbols used on geological maps:
7
Cow Green Mapping: Day 2
Aims:
Now that you are experienced in making observations and deductions in the field, we want to
give you the opportunity some real field mapping.
We will visit an area near Cow Green Reservoir in Upper Teesdale. You should make full field
notes and sketches in your field notebook, concentrating on the following objectives:
1. Identify the lithologies in the area
2. Produce a geological map of the area.
3. Attempt to draw a geological cross-section and explain the geological history of the
area.
8
High Force and Low Force Area: Day 3
Aims
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
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
To record the lithologies present
Record Dip and Strike and map area
Write a geological history of the area.
To make a graphic log of the sediments at Bowlees if time permits
Key:
WS= Whin Sill
S = Metamorphosed
Carboniferous Sandstone
TBL = Tyne Bottom Limestone
9
10
Map 1: Blank Base Map Cow Green
Map 2: High and Low Force Field Sites
10
01
8
9
5
7
1
6
Key:
1 = The Leap (nr
Scooberry Br); 2 = S
bank 3; = Waterfall
4 = Outcrop S bank; 5
= View from S to N
bank Shelf; 6 =
Outcrop S side; 7 =
Outcrop S side; 8 =
Staple Crag 9 = LF
from Wynch Br 10 =
High force; 11 =
Holwick Scars
3
4
2
11
01
89
90
91
92
93
94
11
Map 3: Cow Green Field Sites
1
2
3
4
5
11?
6
7
9
8
10
Key: 1 = Weelhead Syke
CP; 2 =View Back to CP; 3
Rod’s Vein; 4 = Pile of
Stones; 5 = Red Syke; 6 =
Cow Green Dam; 7 = Top of
Caldron Snout; 8 = Foot of
Cauldron Snout; 9 Falcon
Clints; 10 = Small rubbly
12Scar
outcrop 11 = Cronkley
13
Geological Timescale
Eon
Era
Period
Ma
(millions of
years ago)
0
Quaternary
2
2
Cenozoic
Geological Environment in the
Lake District
‘Ice Age’ with 11 cold phases or
glacials
Tertiary
65
65
Cretaceous
142
142
Jurassic
206
206
Mesozoic
Triassic
249
249
Permian
290
290
Phanerozoic
(visible life)
Carboniferous
354
354
Devonian
417
417
Palaeozoic
Silurian
443
443
Ordovician
495
495
Cambrian
545
545
Cryptozoic
Desert & semi-arid conditions
with Britain 15ºN of the Equator
(similar to the location of the
present day Sahara desert)
Equatorial climate with Britain
lying on the Equator giving warm
shallow seas & on the delta areas
lush tropical vegetation
Desert & semi-arid conditions
with Britain 20ºS of the Equator
(similar to the location of the
present day Kalahari desert)
Initially tropical shallow marine
conditions, followed by deepening
seas due subsidence
Subduction of the Iapetus
Oceanic crust forming explosive
volcanoes, followed by the
collision of the Laurentian &
Avalonian continents
Deposition of sediments by
turbidity currents in deep water
on the continental slopes of the
former Iapetus Ocean
Pre-Cambrian
(hidden life)
4600
14
Fieldwork Skills
1. Use of the compass clinometer to measure dip and strike
Before going into the field you need to know how to use your compass clinometer. The
compass clinometer is a single instrument used to measure strike and dip directions of
rock beds, as well as their dip angles. The device has two needles for measuring angles.
The double-ended magnetic needle (white one end and red & white the other end), which
is free to swing only when the baseplate is held horizontally, is used for determining
strike relative to magnetic north. To do this, one edge of the baseplate is held pointing
along the strike and the dial is rotated until 0° (north) lines up with the north end (red &
white end) of the compass needle. The strike (in degrees round from magnetic north)
can then be read off against the small fixed arrowhead marked on the hinge of the
mirror and baseplate.
2. Turn the dial
until the north
arrow lines up with
the north end of
the compass needle
1. Point the edge
of the compass
along the strike
3. Read off the
strike direction
from the dial
here
Measuring Strike
To measure the dip of a surface you must use the other needle, which is a single-ended
object that points downwards under its own weight, and only works when the baseplate is
held vertically on its side. To be able to read this correctly, you must first rotate the
compass dial so that 270° (W) lines up with the small fixed arrowhead on the hinge of
the mirror and baseplate. When you look at it from the side, you will see that the
clinometer scale is now lined up with 90° dip against this arrowhead. To make a
measurement, hold the baseplate in a vertical plane (so the clinometer needle can hang
freely) and with its long side running directly down the dip (water is often used to find
the steepest dip of a bed of rock). The dip angle can be read off where the clinometer
needle meets the scale. You must read the dip angle off the scale while the clinometer
needle is still in its vertically hanging position.
1. Turn the
compass dial until
270° (W) lines up
the arrowhead
here
2. Hold the compass
vertically with the
long side running
down the dip
3. Read the dip
angle off where
the clinometer
needle meets the
scale here
Measuring Dip
15
You will be measuring strike from magnetic north, which differs by a few degrees from
true (grid) north. You should record strike and dip in your notebook in the following
style. For example, a strike of 220° with a dip of 20° approximately towards the southeast should be recorded 220/20SE; always use three digits for the strike and two digits
for the dip, and omit the degree symbols because in handwriting these can be mistaken
for zeroes. A strike of 40° should be recorded as 040. Note that 040° differs from
220° by 180°, and so records the same orientation of strike (it does not matter which
way we look along the strike of a bed of rock). 220/20SE and 040/20SE therefore are
alternative ways of describing the strike and dip of the same plane. You should write
down whatever strike you read off your compass, and not attempt to add or subtract
180° because there is a chance you will make a mistake! For plotting on a map, it is
recommended that 220/20SE should be shown as:
20
The longer line indicates the strike direction and the tick mark shows the down-dip
direction. The dip direction is taken in a very similar way to the method of measuring
the strike. The only difference being that the dip direction is a one direction
measurement not a two direction measurement like strike. So you must point the mirror
end of the compass in the direction of dip and then turn the compass dial until the
magnetic needle is above the north arrow. Next read off the angle at the small
arrowhead, just as you did for the strike.
2. Turn the dial
until the north
arrow lines up with
the north end of
the compass needle
1. Holding the
compass flat, point
the mirror end of
the compass down
the dip
3. Read off the
strike direction
from the dial
here
Measuring Dip Direction
If you cannot remember what strike and dip mean then take a look at the diagram below!
16
2. Recording field data in a field notebook
One of the most important aspects of fieldwork is observation, and recording as much of
what you see as possible, so that you can refer to it later. This is more important than
trying to suggest complicated interpretations of what you see. Beware of jumping to
conclusions too soon.
a) Taking notes: To obtain maximum benefit from fieldwork, you have to take accurate
notes in the field. This is essential, whether you are an experienced geologist or
beginner. Good field notes provide a store of information on which you can draw on later
when writing up your coursework. Don’t forget your notebooks are handed in and
assessed as part of your coursework! We suggest you adopt a standard format for your
notetaking: it is worth checking and re-checking the list of data you should record at
each locality, because this is the only way of making sure that you do not forget to
record anything. Each day, start by noting the date and general area to be visited. Then
at each locality record the information indicated in the table below. Note that all
features may not be relevant to every locality but are included for completeness.
Checklist for field notes:
1
Locality/Site
2
3
Sketch
Photographs
Rock Lithology
4
Bedding
5
Tectonic Structures
6
Fossils
7
Other
and
Grid reference, locality name/number & written
description
Overall sketch & close up sketches with annotations
Texture (crystalline, fragmental, chemical)
Minerals present (grain size, shapes & sorting)
Rock identification & description
Measure strike & dip of beds
Thinly or thickly bedded?
Any minor features or structures, e.g. ripples marks?
Joints
Faults
Record strike & dip if present
Folds
Cleavage or foliation
Note abundance & variety of fossils & trace fossils
Do not destroy fossils
Note any obvious features, such as mineral veins & any
cross-cutting relationships
Obviously this is a list predominantly for sedimentary rocks, but you will find that much
of it also applies to igneous and metamorphic rocks. Remember to keep checking this list
to make sure you have recorded all the necessary details.
b) Making field sketches: Field sketches always form an important part of any field
notes. The best sketches are not perfect artistic drawings; the idea is that they should
show accurately the significant large-scale geological features of an outcrop accurately.
To make best use of your sketches you should annotate them extensively. Don’t forget
to include a rough scale and a north point as well as to label or number any more detailed
sketches in your field notebook. The very act of sketching (even if you are not very good
17
at it) should make you think about interpreting the geology of the area you are
examining.
c) Taking photographs: Remember to record the details (the shot numbers/file
numbers) for each locality. Some digital cameras allow you to record a voice note with
each picture. This would be a very handy tool for working out what you have taken when
you start writing up your coursework after the field trip has finished. Photographs are
not a substitute for a field sketch.
18
Diagram 1: Mineral ID Flow Diagram
19
Diagram 2: Sedimentary Rocks Description Card
20
Diagram 3: Metamorphic Rocks Description Card
21
Diagram 4: Igneous Rocks Description Card
22
Diagram 5: Flow diagram showing Procedure for collection of primary data
Whenever you see a new outcrop of rock stand back (10-20m
depending on size & locality) and take stock of the general
structure.
Number the locality/site. Give it a grid reference & very briefly
describe the location. Draw a sketch & take a photograph. Look for &
label on your sketch any of the following:
Is the rock all the same colour,
texture & shape, or does it
look like there may be more
than one rock type?
Weathering will often help pick
out subtle differences in rock
type by changes in colour,
texture or shape.
Are there any regular planar
(straight) features running
through the rock?
Are there any other unusual or
irregular features that strike
you about the outcrop?
If there are, these may be
bedding, cleavage, jointing, or
faulting.
These might be due to folding,
faulting, hydrothermal veins or
igneous intrusions?
Then step up to the outcrop for a closer look. Sketch & photograph
all the features seen. Give these a number on your overall sketch.
Find a fresh surface of rock
& look very closely at the
rock (use a hand lens)
Oops, go back & start
again!
No
Yes
Does the rock have
cleavage?
Can you see the minerals or
grains by eye?
Yes
No
Are the minerals too
small to see?
Yes
Does the rock have
crystals in bands?
Yes
No
No
Are the minerals
glassy & interlocking? Yes
No
It is METAMORPHIC
No
Will the rock powder
when scratched with
metal?
It is IGNEOUS
It is SEDIMENTARY
Yes
Does the rock fizz in
HCl?
No
Yes
It is a LIMESTONE
It is SEDIMENTARY
23
Now describe & name the rock by using the separate rock identification charts
Diagram 6: Criteria for distinguishing lava flow from a sill










Lava Flow
Has one baked margin
Usually fine grained
May have vesicles / amygdales due to
degassing at surface
May have a red-brown weathered
surface (red bole) due to sub-aerial
weathering.
May contain fragments of the lava flow
in the rocks above due to sub-aerial
weathering
Columnar joints present tend to be
more slender at the surface where
cooling was fast but become wider and
more monotonous with depth due to
uniform cooling – called colonnade
columns.
Unlikely to find cooling joints in county
rock below
Lava flow top surfaces may be more
likely to form glassy margins due to
more rapid cooling.
Lava flows may record pillow
structures.
Lava flows may form flow bands.







Sill
Has two baked margins
Often medium grained
No vesicles as not degassed (as
intrusive)
Less likely to have heavily weathered
surface unless been exposed due to
removal of sediment cover.
Columnar joints tend to be more
regular in sills due to uniform cooling.
Cooling joints may be visible in 2m or
so of the country rock above and below
the sill as they too were intensely
heated on cooling and cooled down and
contracted.
Sills may show signs of transgression
within the country rock as they follow
lines of weakness.
Diagram 7: Sedimentary Rocks Classification
24
AS Coursework
Coursework:
For your AS level Geology coursework you must submit at 1 piece of fieldwork. Coursework is
worth 30% of your AS year and is completed in your own time rather than under examination
conditions. Consequently it is very important to do as good a job as possible on these pieces of
work. On the next 2 pages is the format that these pieces of coursework should follow.
YOUR COURSEWORK IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY AND WILL NOT BE MARKED UNLESS
YOU FOLLOW THE CORRECT LAYOUT AND COMPLETE THE PLANNING SHEETS. IT
MUST ALSO BE ALL OF YOUR OWN WORK! THIS MEANS YOU MUST REFERENCE
SOURCES USED. NO SUBMISSION WILL THEREFORE MEAN YOU RECEIVE ZERO FOR
33% OF THE YEAR.
Layout:









Must submit with AS GL2a 2 planning sheet (wjec website) and AS GL2b 2 form (wjec
website)
Point 10 Text Black (comic Sans MS, Times New Roman or Ariel); Justify Text; Use line
spacing 1.5 in paragraph tool.
Page numbers included bottom right
Header on each page centred to include: Your name; candidate number; school name;
investigation title.
Front page to include the same as the header (can also include cover sheet)
Contents page (optional – but useful to organise work)
Staple or bind together neatly, please no document wallets or plastic sheets or it won’t
be marked.
Name; School and Candidate Number to go on field note book and on all field sketches.
All of the above needs to go into a cardboard file (provided by Sir).
Plan:
Is your plan written in the future tense (e.g. I will measure....)?

Introduction and location map
-Where are you going to undertake the study? - From preliminary research why is this a good
area? What is there to study. Show evidence of research / background reading. Use the
regional geology map. – Consider a preliminary study (this could be of another site – what did
you learn from this that you would do next time in your main project?). Discuss the regional
and local geology to set the context of your study.

Aims/hypotheses:
- Set an overall project aim / research question / title or problem you will investigate in your
project (can be changed later and ideas can be recorded in your plan)
- Make some hypothesis based on your background research. These can be numbered.
25



Justification of hypotheses using background geological knowledge based on you AS
notes / reading. Why have you chosen these to test / investigate?
What will your predicted outcome of the project / investigation be?
Method of data collection
Explain the primary sources of data you intend to use  what will you need to collect? How will
you collect it (flow chart 7) and why is this the best method linking back to your aim /
hypothesis?

How will you describe the rocks and minerals (diagrams 2-4). The best projects are the
ones which make clear reference to how you have tailored your plan to the research
question being investigated. E.g. If you expect to be dealing with mainly metamorphic
rocks or mainly fossils, show how data on these would be described and collected first.
What secondary sources are you going to use / base your project on? (books, internet other
research?

Equipment needed
Can be done using a table or paragraphs and must include a justification of why it was needed.
Again the best investigation write-ups link the specialist equipment needed to the title being
investigated.



What sampling techniques will you use? Why these? Why are you going to do it this way
rather than other ways?
How will you ensure accurate and reliable results?
Data presentation
How are you going to present your results? E.g. field sketches (how will this be done), photos,
graphs (what type – draw out examples of the type you will use), tables, spread sheets, sketch
maps, base maps etc.. Keep explaining how and why each will be used – link back to aim.

Method of analysis
How will you analyse sketches, models, photos, graphs, cross sections, geological maps, base
maps, sketch maps.

Limitations/assumptions?
Think about any problems you might encounter before you start. How might these be overcome?

Safety considerations
What specific safety considerations did you take into account with reference to your method to
allow you collect data safely? E.g. working near water? In mountainous areas etc.
Implementation:
In order to provide evidence for implementation, it is vital that the appropriate field notes from
your note book are included with the report. Ideas of how to improve your field notes include:
26




Each field sketch should have a six-figure grid reference, scale, compass orientation and
detailed annotations. Simplistic labelling of sketches is not good enough!
Field notes should consist of detailed observations, measurements and records made by
you in the field.
Make comments about the reliability of the data being collected and any limitations or
assumptions being made. Do this in your notebook as you work through your investigation
and this will help later when writing your evaluation.
The field notes provide the basis for the final report and should be considered the most
important part of the investigation.
Analysis:
The analysis involves both a description of your findings and an explanation of your findings.
Remember to use your AS notes here.
1.
A description involves writing out geologically what you found at each site. For example:
Site 1: The main rock at this location was crystalline in texture as the crystals were interlocking at not fragmental. No pore
spaces could be seen. The rock was very hard and was very light in colour. No bedding structures or layering could be seen so no
dip directions or angle measurements could be taken, although a number of widely spaced (5 to 10cm) joints were apparent. The
whole body of rock was discordant with the surrounding country rock. The minerals were randomly orientated and were on
average 2 to 3 cms in size, making it coarse grained. There were three minerals visible. The white rectangular mineral had a
vitreous lustre and could not be scratched by a metal blade, making it >5.5 in hardness. Probably making it feldspar. etc.......
2. An explanation for this description would involve the following:
The crystalline rock with randomly orientated minerals suggests an igneous origin cooling and solidifying from molten rock. The
large crystal size (>2mm) suggests the magma was cooled slowly at depth and probably represents a batholith. The discordant
nature of its boundary with the surrounding country rock also back this up. The light colour (felsic) of this coarse grained
igneous rock suggests it is acidic with respect to its silica content, probably >65% SiO2. The white mineral was plagioclase
feldspar due to its hardness, colour and shape, whilst the hard glassy mineral is probably quartz, and the black soft mineral is
biotite mica. These minerals and the coarse grain size suggest it to represent a granite.



Once you have described and explained the findings at each site, you need to interpret
your findings with respect to the wider context of the investigation. What do all the
results at each of the sites investigated tell you about the whole area? Can you work out
the geological history or order of formation?
Conclude your analysis by referring back to your initial question or hypothesis stating
whether it was correct or not.
Extension?
• Has your analysis raised any further questions or hypothesis that could be tested (i.e.
extensions to your project)
Going further (A grade coursework)! Once an intrusive nature for the Whin Sill at in the
Upper Teesdale has been established by your field observations there remain other
problems connected with it which arise from further field evidence, but which are, as yet,
difficult to explain. From the map on the cover it can be seen that the Whin Sill outcrops
over a 150km length and extends eastwards underneath Durham towards the North Sea.
With thicknesses varying between 5 and 70 metres, an average of around 25 metres, you
can appreciate that the Whin Sill involves a considerable volume of igneous material (look at
question). You can work out its volume to show this. But how did it achieve this lateral
27
extent and continuity? It would be straightforward if we could think of it melting and
burning its way through the bedded rocks of the Carboniferous limestones etc., making use
of planes of weakness such as faults and folds in the strata, but the evidence collected from
the field suggests that contact temperatures were relatively modest. The metamorphic
alterations above and below the sill extend to only a limited distance away from the
contacts. Also from observations and laboratory experiments, dolerite magmas are not a
fluid as erupted basalts, so, the question arises, how did the sill manage to penetrate a
lithified succession of sediments, and even disrupt rocks to the extent that large rafts of
sediment can be included in the sill? If you also need to bear in mind that this intrusion took
place beneath an overlying pile of approximately 4,000 metres of Carboniferous sediments,
then we have "space problem", i.e. how did it make space for itself? The space problem and
the mechanical power to displace remain to be explained. Any ideas?? You could also think
about is there any evidence for its transgression apart from at the Falcon Clints? Try and
piece days one and two together. The sill is above the Tynebottom limestone at High Force,
but between the Melmerby Scar Limestone at Cauldron Snout – research the stratigraphic
order of these units and explain. Other extensions could include looking for evidence how
the sill was emplaced at Staple Crag and trying to deduce the significance of this site.
Evaluation:
This last section involves answering a number of questions about your investigation.








How reliable was your method? Were there any problems or difficulties you came up
against?
How reliable do you think your data is? Are there any anomalies that you didn't expect?
Can you explain them?
You could evaluate your interpretations of each field locality as you go along in your
analysis.
How could you improve your investigation if you were to carry it out again?
What further study does this investigation lead you onto?
Who might your findings be of use to?
Evaluation is not a list of excuses. Naive and simplistic statements regarding lack of
time, bad weather, phases of the moon and lack of familiarity with equipment do not
form the basis of a mature evaluation. As a rough guide, one side of A4 word-processed
text is a probable optimum length for evaluation.
A bibliography of sources used and any acknowledgements of any help gained should also
be included.
28