Siccar Point Field Excursion Preview

Introduction

This preview is intended to give you a good idea of what the Siccar Point excursion is all about in terms of location and geological features. It is not an alternative to the excursion. You might think of it as briefing notes - the more you know in advance the more you will be able to engage in discussion and observation during the event.

You will meet two major rock formations:

• Silurian greywackes laid down in a deep sea environment about 425 million years ago.

• Devonian sandstones deposited on a broad coastal plain periodically flooded by the sea about 345 million years ago.

The objective is to examine the different rock formations and observe the characteristics that reveal their environments of deposition.