Geology

Pure geology. An absolute classic outcrop example to show the difference between sedimentary dip (almost vertical) and cleavage (almost horizontal) in deformed metamorphic rocks, Devonian Polzeath Slates in this case. Seen on Polzeath beach.

A telephoto shot looking from Cap Gris-Nez across Wissant Bay northwards to Cap Blanc-Nez. Gris-Nez is the closest point in France to England. Blanc-Nez is an Upper Cretaceous Chalk outcrop (white). Note the piles of chalk on the beach to the left - evidence of the instability in the cliffs

The craggy peaks of Carboniferous Limestone near Earl Sterndale south of Buxton are associated with apron reef facies developed on the south-western flanks of the Derbyshire shelf in Dinantian times. The distant hills are made up of younger Namurian sandstones and shales. Very much younger is the barbed wire fence! HFF everyone. Have a great weekend.

The Permian El Capitan reef complex in the Guadeloupe Mountains on the Texas-New Mexico border. After the flight from Dallas to El Paso we transferred to the tour bus for a geological field trip around West Texas. As an undergraduate I wrote a long essay on carbonate reefs referring to the Guadalupian El Capitan as the prime ancient analogue of modern build-ups. It was a real buzz to actually visit it and hit the rocks with a hammer!