Wednesday 1 August 2012

Cleveland dyke( basaltic andesite) v Great whin sill ( Dolorite )

Towards the close of Carboniferous Period some 295 million years ago (Ma), crustal extension caused by movement of the Earth’s tectonic plates allowed the emplacement of igneous intrusions of magma across much of northern England of a suite of tholeiitic dolerite intrusions. These were largely concordant with the strata of the existing country rock. On cooling, these crystallised and solidified to form the Great Whin Sill.
It underlies much of south and east Northumberland and the Durham Coalfield. Its maximum known thickness of around 70 metres occurs in the North Pennines.
Surface and subsurface records of the Great Whin reveal it is not always concordant over wide areas and often rises and falls in the stratigraphical succession in marked leaps and gentle transgressions different levels.
Studies of the petrology of the dolerites of the Whin Sill complex have revealed significant differences between the Little Whin and the Great Whin. The Little Whin Sill is olivine-bearing and believed to be composed of an early differentiate of the Whin dolerite magma. On the other hand, the Great Whin, non-olivine-bearing and slightly density graded, is a later differentiate of the Whin magma.
Two separate periods of Whin dolerite injection are confirmed by studies of vitrinite reflectance over the Alston Block where two periods of Whin contact metamorphism have been recognized. The two periods of Whin dolerite emplacement form part of the end-Carboniferous earth movements in northern England. They can be shown to have occurred between a period of compression from a W-SW direction and later gentle doming of the Alston Block near the Westphalian-Stephanian boundary, dated about 300-295 Ma.
The lithology is notable in many respects, including well developed pegmatite segregations which can be found in Upper Teesdale. Late stage hydrothermal mineralisation has filled the joints with pectolite. The dolerite has been carbonated as metasomatic selvages into veins and joints and other flaws to produce 'White Whin'. Thermal metamorphism of the country rock in the contact zone produced coarse grained marbles within the aureole in a small number of places in Teesdale.
Disused roadstone quarries along the course of the sill offer sections for its interpretation.


Tertiary
During the Tertiary, the British land mass drifted northwards from 40°N to its present latitude. It was also moved eastwards by the widening of the Atlantic Ocean and there was violent volcanic activity over north west Britain. It was in this period that the Cleveland dyke was formed, originating from volcanic activity near the Scottish island of Mull. The highlands and lowlands of Britain assumed their present relative positions by the late Tertiary period, about 2 million years ago.[4][2]

The eastern termination of the Cleveland Dyke on Fylingdales Moor, North Yorkshire, has been mapped by ground magnetic surveys. Two distinct anomalies have been identified, one of which is directly along strike from known outcrops of the dyke. The other, not yet fully defined, lies about 100 m farther south. In contrast to the well-known and commonly surveyed outcrop on nearby Goathland Moor, but in common with perhaps most British members of the Palaeogene Hebridean dyke swarms, the anomalies on Fylingdales Moor are caused by reversely magnetized bodies. The nature of the transition between the magnetization directions, which presumably represent differences in age, could be investigated by magnetic surveys in the forested area between the Fylingdales Moor and Goathland Moor. 
 

Tuesday 24 July 2012

Geological survey

1:50 000 scale superficial deposits description: Till, Devensian - Diamicton. Superficial Deposits formed up to 2 million years ago in the Quaternary Period. Local environment previously dominated by ice age conditions.

Setting: ice age conditions. These rocks were formed in cold periods with Ice Age glaciers scouring the landscape and depositing moraines of till with outwash sand and gravel deposits from seasonal and post glacial melt waters.

Above is the latest British geological survey explanation as to what is beneath us here in the south west area of Cleveland.




                                                                     

Monday 23 July 2012

Leven bank deposits

This large excavation on the banks of the river leven just north west of leven bank, seems to show the same red alluvial deposit as at Stainton and all other locations i have excavated at various sites in the south west area of Cleveland, north east England.




The houses in the above image are to the south west edge of ingalby barwick.






Sand intrusion in the red clay.




Another sand intrusion of witch there are many.








Close up of the clay





I am not sure what the project is yet maybe a bridge, but the superficial deposits are in my mind certainly not boulder clay.








This image shows what i believe to be Triassic mudstone amongst the red clay, as it is found 3.5 miles south east at Stainton as well as at all other locations Ive excavated , in the south west area of Cleveland.


The southern entrance to the excavation.

Fossill slabs

1 - Stainton gravel bed fossils
 
 
2- The piece above i believe could be trace fossils of stromatolites.
 
 
3- The rest apeare to be Jurassic slabs containing mainly Gryphaea.
4
 
 
 
5
 
 
 
6
 
 
 
7- The piece above is strange it i first thought was a worn ammonite, but ime not so sure now, and the fact its made up of other fossils has me puzzled.

Wednesday 18 July 2012

The magnetic rocks and bones of south west Cleveland

1- Jet black mineral as yet unidentified it is attracted to none rare earth magnets, resistant to very high temperatures.
 
 
2 Video of a visit to a section of Cleveland dyke in Teesdale. Sorry for the quality of the video's but the conditions were not great.
 
 

3
 
 
4 - Cobble worked from the Cleveland dyke at Stainton quarry, the none rare earth magnet sticks to the Basaltic andesite quite easily.
 
 

 
 
5- Large piece of whin stone not far from Stainton quarry, again the none rare earth magnet sticks easily.
 
 
6- As yet unidentified piece
 
 
7- Left over stone at the Stainton quarry site, all of the rocks easily attracted none rare earth magnets.
 
 
 
 
 
.8 - Excavated rock from the The Stainton gravel beds  Ime sure its Whinstone but am not sure what has caused the indentations, but whenever i come across whinstone with these marks, it has a very strong attraction to none rare earth magnets


9- 11  This piece is strange, Excavated from  The Stainton gravel beds

10

11

12 Excavated from  The Stainton gravel beds

13Whinstone

 
16

 

16- These curb stones run along the Boothem area of Central York, all i tested were attracted to the rare earth magnet shown, i did not have a none rare earth magnet with me, but would gamble one would easily stick,as ime sure these stones originated from one of the quarry's in The south west area of Cleveland.

17 - 18 show an experiment i carried out, please click the link for more info and images Magnetic horse bone 

18
 
19 Another experiment.
 
 
 
 
 

Wednesday 4 July 2012

Human tibia shaft

This image shows a human tibia shaft still in the a Stainton gravel beds.


The tibia shaft above has been reported to Tees archaeology who can no longer help as they have had there funding suspended by Middlesbrough council.
It was excavated from the Stainton gravel beds, and i believe it is human. Ive also been to the police, and Dorman museum the police could not help and ime still awaiting a response from dorman museum middlesbrough.   I now know this to be a human tibia shaft there are updated posts.
The image above shows a human tibia shaft excavated from a more famous site, that was taken a lot more seriously than my finds!

Please remember the piece of bone in the first two images was excavated over 2 metres into packed and previously undisturbed deposits ive been informed are proberbly 20,000 years +
 
 
Sorry forgot to update this old post, the tibia shaft is indeed Human it was identified by an anthropologist on behalf of Cleveland police

Thursday 28 June 2012

Bone finds kell gate Staianton.

Thie pic above show one of the horse femur's before being extracted from the red clay.
The pic above shows the cleaned bones, all found in the same area of red clay at Kell gate Staintin, just up stream from the structure.











The pic above shows most ofthe bones still tightly embedded into the stonles aluvial red clay.

Friday 22 June 2012

Structure uncovered at Stainton beck

I visited a different area of Stainton beck that only shows the red clay deposit that usually sits well above the gravel beds, and found quite a lot of mineralised bone buried in the stoneless clay.

I then noticed a wooden structure above were the red clay.

I decided to do a small excavation and was surprised to find what appeared to be a small road, pathway? made from mostly whinstone ( basaltic andesite) from the  Cleveland dyke at this location.
If ime right and i think i am this structure at least pre dates the old Thornton hall as the path or road would have had to pass through the old hall garden walls and they are still there, and there is no gateway.


Also there was no steel or iron to be found in the wood nore any pottery, or brick the ends of the wood have been chopped away not sawn.
 
 

Sunday 10 June 2012

First visit by my good freind Roger Curry to view the Stainton gravel beds and the Cleveland dyke at Stainton

This first image shows Roger pointing at the Stainton gravel bed, not far to the right is where i found the possible human tbia.

This image shows a magnet a lot stronger than i usually use stuck tight to a rock

I was recently visited by a friend who i met on a mineral forum, i showed the lad round my local excavations here are his observations. Roger said - He believes like others who have visited this area with me that ive discovered as yet unknown magnetic phenomena and geological deposits.

                          

Saturday 21 April 2012

Fossil rich slab found on Boltonmoss hill




This fossil rich slab i strongly believe like 99% of the rock found on the surface around this area came from the Stainton gravel beds. It looks to be Carboniferous limestone.

Fossil burnt wood excavated from the Stainton grav...

Fossill slabs