The Great Whin Sill and Hadrian’s Wall

Covid-19 resulted in the widespread cancellation of geological field courses and projects in our universities nationwide, and their replacement with desk-based dissertations. When the UK lockdown was announced in March, the University of Newcastle tasked their first-year Earth Science students to produce some field guides to classic geological localities in the Northumberland National Park and adjacent areas. David Manning, Professor of Soil Science in the School of Natural and Environmental Sciences at the Univerity of Newcastle writes:

“The challenge lay in giving the students the opportunity to develop the skills we would normally be teaching in the field, which include GIS skills and the ability to create and edit maps. We came up with the brief to produce a field guide, suitable for an informed amateur geologist, focusing on aspects of the geology of Northumberland. The key source of information is the excellent Geodiversity Audit of Northumberland National Park, which includes around 150 well-described field locations - a rich seam for a student to mine! One never knows how an exercise like this will work, especially as all guidance to students was delivered remotely. But the outcome was excellent across the board, with the class rising collectively to the challenge of delivering something that interested them individually, and that would appeal to a non-specialist reader. Given the quality of what was submitted, we decided to award a prize (as we would informally while in the residential field centre) for the best student work. The 5 pieces of work that were awarded the top marks were passed on to Ian Jackson (formerly Director of Information and Chief of Operations at the BGS, and a local resident), who kindly adjudicated so that we could agree on the project that came first. All involved in the process hope that the author, Caitlin Leverett, enjoys the prize, 2 years membership of YGS, and we wish her every success in her future studies.”

With the kind agreement of the University of Newcastle, YGS is pleased to feature Caitlins’s guide as a download on our website. The Guide presents a geological walk following the Pennine Way National Trail along Hadrian’s Wall and the Great Whin Sill, visiting Cawfield Quarry, Crag Lough and Sewingshields Crags, and including the iconic Sycamore Gap, one of the UK’s most photographed countryside locations. The guide can be downloaded and viewed online, or printed out as a small booklet to take out in the field with you. Do do give it (and the walk!) a try.

 About my project – by Caitlin Leverett

Starting in 2019 I have just completed a highly enjoyable first year of a 5 year MSci degree in Earth Science at Newcastle University. I have always loved STEM subjects and physical geography. I love to watch documentaries and read about the physical world around us and our relationship with it.

I am very new to Geology and am learning all the time. I decided to study Earth Science as I felt it best covered all of my varied interests in science and geography. Newcastle University has an excellent reputation and ranked highly for this course. I chose this particular course because it offers a year in industry in my third year, which will give me valuable experience and help me to build a career path.

In my spare time I am a keen archer and a member of Riverside Archery Club and have also joined the Newcastle University Archery Club.

Students in our year group were tasked with producing a geological guide of an area within Northumberland National Park - I chose the Whin Sill and Hadrian’s Wall because both are such iconic parts of our landscape. I also felt that, while most people know of their existence, they tend to focus on the history of the wall and the Romans. I wanted to direct their attention to the amazing geology of the area and its influence.

As lockdown eased I was able to test out my walk and had the opportunity to take most of my own photographs to illustrate the guide. I really enjoyed learning how the local geology and landscape influenced the building of Hadrian’s Wall, particularly how the nearby natural resources were used, and producing this guide also helped me to develop my GIS, research and desktop publishing skills.