Geology Group Field Meetings Report For 2001

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NOTESGEOLOGY ON SOMEFIELD SUFFOLK MEETINGS MOTHS, 2001

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Geology Group Field Meetings Report For 2001 Introduction This account describes those field meetings that were held in Suffolk and Essex and were organised jointly with the Geological Society of Norfolk. They were led by Bob Markham. The field meeting ‘Box-stone Bonanza’ was cancelled because of the disastrous foot-and-mouth disease epidemic. The Industrial Geology of Ipswich Docks Thursday 28 June. This was an evening walk around the dock area at Ipswich led by Bob Markham. 12 people attended on a fine and sunny, if slightly chilly evening. The meeting benefited enormously from the numerous contributions made by some of the attending participants. The docks have a fascinating history and at one time were the largest enclosed area of water of its kind in the country. They were developed from 1837 onwards and completed in 1841/2. The new Customs House, with its white (?Cambridge Gault) bricks is dated 1845. The port flourished during Victorian times and up to the First World War; enlargements to the wet dock were completed in 1881. The present dockscape has remained remarkably unchanged since about 1890. The geological and geomorphological setting of the docks was described, with reference to the sub-Tertiary palaeosurface, at c.–117 ft. OD, more recent infilled hollows and buried channels, and the origin of the Orwell Valley. The huge mammilated Sarsen stones, assumed to be from the Reading Beds, on the footpath just west of Stoke Bridge were examined and their origin as possible Miocene duricrusts discussed. These were dredged from the river during work on a flood protection scheme in 1975. The building stones were described as the walk proceeded and included flint, sandstones, granites, Caen stone and many more; particular attention was paid to four large millstones of indeterminate origin set into the wall on the south side of Key Street, and some excellent current bedding displayed in sandstone paving slabs. Raw material imports were also discussed: coal from Newcastle, iron from Spain, Niedermendig lava from the Rhineland, rock salt from Cheshire, alum, Fullers Earth, pipeclays, slates, roadstone, asphalt, paving and setts, oil and much else. Some of the street names bear witness to these imports eg. Salthouse St. and Coprolite St. (probably the only street with this name in Britain, named after the phosphatic nodules from the Red Crag and the basis of the chemical fertiliser industry). The dockside was naturally the focus for many import-related manufacturing processes, such as iron works, brick-yards and gas works. The Flint Wharf was so called because of the imported flints used in F. Ransome’s Artificial Stone Works. (I am most grateful to Bob Markham for allowing me to use freely his notes in the writing of this report). The Sudbury Area Saturday 4 August Nine people attended this meeting on a bright and sunny day (apart from one lunch-time shower) to examine the stratigraphy of the Sudbury area. At one time there were many working Chalk and clay pits in the area and, even 30

Trans. Suffolk Nat. Soc. 38 (2002)


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