Yorkshire Branch of the Open University Geological Society - Winter Weekend 2006, Scarborough South Bay

Thank you to Peter Robinson, for being once again an excellent and informative leader - and Ann for organising the weekend so well

Murals painted on both sides of the road, somewhere behind the castle Tide just starting to go out
Not geological - but we were most impressed by these murals! Past the beach huts is the "swimming pool", Holbeck Hall Hotel landslip, and sticking out is White Nab, where we are headed.  Red Cliff and Filey disappear in the haze
Peter's stick for scale My pencil for scale - 14 cm long
Is this the imprint of a dinosaur footprint?  A lot of discussion - if it isn't, what natural process could possibly explain this feature? Here's an even bigger one - both these features in the Moor Grit deltaic rocks (Scalby Formation) exposed south of the Spa
Rock armour around the toe of the landslip - migmatites and larvikites Once we knew what to look for, we found them everywhere -
Below the Holbeck Hall landslip - exploring the White Nab Ironstone exposed on the beach - what are we looking for? Ah!  We have found it!  to the right and slightly below the end of the stick - this is Pseudomelania londsdalei - a type of gastropod
Peter is showing us the Moor Grit Formation beds Several similar rocks were on the beach level
Below Peter is the Bogmire Gill Member of the Scarborough Formation (a marine sequence) - above this are the deltaic rocks of the Scalby Formation Ripples in a fallen block - Moor Grit sandstone
Calm and misty day, and not too cold, but still grateful for a Thermos of hot coffee My pencil for scale
This is the view from our lunch spot Oyster shell in fallen block of Cornbrash - the beds much higher in the cliffs
Pencil for scale - at this point it still has its rubber - I wonder where I lost it? A similar "bite" further along, nearer to Cornelian Bay
We have now reached the Gervillella horizon in the White Nab Ironstone! - almost at White Nab This "bite" has been cut into the rocks by quarrying - the stones were used for Scarborough harbour
We were relieved to get to this point - the going was quite difficult on the Ironstone! The sea so calm, the Point is reflected in it
Round the corner - White Nab on the right, Osgodby (or Knipe) Point ahead, Red Cliff and Cayton Bay beyond that.  More photos of Cornelian Bay on my other pages; and Cayton Bay Climbed up to the cliff level - this is the view looking south towards Cayton Bay, and Filey in the mist beyond.  Halfway down the beach, a pillbox on the rocks.  The Cayton Bay fault goes from bottom left of this picture, to the right of the Point
Just a thin covering of till in this area Almost there - we've been gone about 7 hours
Near the golf course, looking over the edge - the Cornbrash! (Left foreground) A welcome sight - that tower is the Clifton, "home", bath and dinner!

Back to main            Back to geological trips page        And here's where we went on Sunday (Newtondale)