Tuesday 27 December 2011

The true superficial Geology of south west Cleveland north east England.And a map of the locations of my excavations, and locations of the Stainton gravel beds

This excavation shows about 400mm of top soil then the ever present friable red-brown loamy clay with minor pebbles.


Posted by PicasaAs far as i know this red brown deposit covers this whole area sometimes very thick, what i am begining to understand is this deposit is so close to the surface in places it makes the ground around here glow red as the sun lowers and the ground is wet.

The diagram above shows what i now know to be the true superficial geology both to the north and south of the Cleveland dyke in the south west area of Cleveland north east England

Agar 1954 on the deposits in the south west area of Cleveland.

Agar covered in detail the deposits to the north of Stainton created by the ice-dammed water-body that is said to have stood far below the 50 metre elevation of the Stainton site's.  Neither of the papers i have now looked at explicitly cover the south west area of Cleveland, but Agar ( 1954) maps the area as being till- covered with no detail on other beds in the area.
I can now with some confidence state that Agar mapped the area wrong, the area is far from a till covered glacial mess in fact i am yet to come across anything that resembles a till deposit or indeed any glacial erratics on the surface, every area i have excavated is proof in itself that Agar mapped the area wrong, and in doing so tells me he never actually looked hard enough to have the right to map it at all .

Large Amonite piece and gryphea trace fossils excavated from Stainton gravel beds

This large worn Ammonite section was dug from the top of the gravel beds along with the slab with the Gryphaea trace.














Posted by PicasaNot sure what this is yet?

More can be viewed regarding the Stainton gravel beds by clicking the link below
The Stainton gravel beds

New bone and fossils excavated from Stainton gravel beds

This ulna piece was found over 2 metres into the gravel bed, it seems to have a hole created by a fang and other teeth marks.






Unknown vertebrae piece




Unknown radius




Unknown jaw piece




Unknown vertebrae


Posted by PicasaNote the instant colour and shine once these bones are simply washed and dried.

More can be viewed regarding the Stainton gravel beds by clicking the link below
The Stainton gravel beds

Friday 2 December 2011

Bone excavated from deposit above Stainton gravel beds.

I found these rib pieces today in my main excavation at Stainton beck, the end of one of the ribs can be seen just below the end of the tool. Other parts of the two ribs fell away as i removed the clay, they can be seen in the top right of the image.

The image below shows the packed sandy clay layer just above the Stainton gravel bed, before i started digging.

Note how tightly packed and previously undisturbed the clay around the bones are.

The image above shows one rib above the other in the centre.


This image shows the sandy clay layer that contained the bones now removed, the layers above and there are at least two were created by the last actions, of the retreating ice of the last major cold stage.

Wednesday 16 November 2011

Rib and distal tibia fragment excavated from Stainton gravel beds.

I found this rib piece over 2 metres into this dig, just above the packed gravels.


I also found what i think is a fragment of a distal tibia.

Note how packed the gravels are around the bone.


There are at least six different layers in this excavation, including the ever present red clay beneath the gravel layer. These two layers are to be found at all the locations i have excavated in the south west area of Cleveland, so i now think there is more than a good possibility that this sequence of layers extend from at least Stainton to Ormesby beck in the cypress road area of Marton Middlesbrough.
 
More can be viewed regarding the Stainton gravel beds by clicking the link below

Friday 11 November 2011

Example of the magnetic properties of the Cleveland dyke at Stainton.

I dug this cobble from Stainton Quarry and as with the majority of the whinstone ive tested in this area, it attracts a magnet. 

As far as i can gather at this preseant time the Andesite dyke stone from this area has never been reported as magnetic ie attract a magnet
 

The fact that this cobble attracts the magnet, and others I've tested in the old Stainton quarry workings, makes it clear that for some reason the dyke stone in the Stainton area has a different make up than that of other stretches of the dyke, one being the outcrop about a mile north west at Stainsby beck, the dyke stone in the outcrop did not hold the same magnet, yet a layer of broken down whinstone laying between two separate clay deposits above the dyke outcrop was all magnetic?
 
For more info and images regarding my  research into other magnetic minerals please click the link below.
 




















































Sunday 30 October 2011

Mandible excavated from Stainton gravel beds.

















My Daughter found this jaw fragment from a new dig in a section of packed gravel 5 metres east of my main dig at Stainton, at the moment i can not identify it. The teeth don't match bovine horse or cervidae that i have or have viewed. The radius i believe could be from the same animal? it apeares to be cervidae?

                        More can be viewed regarding the Stainton gravel beds by clicking the link below
                                                                The Stainton gravel beds