Encouraging participation and widening knowledge of geology in the North East of England since 1971
GEOLOGY
North East England displays a diverse range of geology which can be observed in a range of locations, many of which are visited by our field trips. You may have explored these places in the past, without being aware of the millions of years of Earth's history preserved beneath your feet.
How old are these rocks?
Geological time is divided into periods spanning 4,600 million years. Each period is given a name. The names are usually associated either with an area where the rocks are well exposed, for example, Devonian - Devon, or with the type of rocks that are found, e.g. Carboniferous means coal-bearing. In general, rocks exposed further to the north and west are oldest and decrease in age to the south and east.
The following pages offer a brief introduction to the geology of this area. Click on the links to discover more about the individual time periods from the Devonian to the Jurassic, as seen in the North East.
Addition - November 2019
We have just been made aware that digitised versions of two very useful books have recently been made available on the BGS site.
They are 'Northumbria Rocks and Landscape' and 'Yorkshire Rocks and Landscape' - both originally published through the Yorkshire Geological Society.
Use these links:-
Northumbrian Rocks: http://earthwise.bgs.ac.uk/index.php/Northumbrian_rocks_and_landscape:_a_field_guide
Yorkshire Rocks: http://earthwise.bgs.ac.uk/index.php/Yorkshire_rocks_and_landscape:_a_field_guide