Also available on this WGCG website
The Geological Evolution of Warwickshire – Jonathan D. Radley
The Rocks of Warwickshire as represented in the – Geology Wall at Brandon Marsh
Geoconservation at Ufton Fields – A Local Geological Site (LGS)
The geology of – The Burton Dassett Hills Country Park.
Solihull Urban Geology – A Town Walk and Discussion of the Geology
The Building Stones of St Giles Church, Packwood – Click for PDF – Opens new window
Warwickshire Building Stones Atlas (May 2011) See in new window
Ramblers Guide to Building Stones in Warwickshire – See more here
Warwickshire has one of the most varied selections of rocks in the country. It spans over 600 million years from the depths of the Precambrian period, with violent volcanic eruptions, through to the much more recent sands and gravels which formed during the Pleistocene ice age, whose latest phase was only 10,000 years ago.
The rocks vary from hard lavas, sandstones of many colours, grey and honey coloured limestones, coal, and soft silts, clays and gravels. They reflect environmental conditions which at various times have been desert, marine, equatorial and arctic. The rock types also influence the scenery with, for example, harder limestones and ironstones. forming high ground such as Edge Hill in south Warwickshire. In rural areas the building materials of cottages and farms often reveal the nature of the local rocks.
The different rocks across the county have been built into a geological wall at the WWT Brandon Marsh Centre. Click here to find out more.
Superb variety of fossils
The county boasts a superb variety of fossils from Cambrian triolobites to the huge range of Jurassic invertebrates. Unique reptile and amphibian bones and footprints from the Triassic are of special interest, while marine reptile remains from the Lower Jurassic, such as the Wilmcote plesiosaur, are equally spectacular.
Many rocks are commercially valuable, with quarries and mines being dug to extract them. Some rocks have been used for building stones, and others as sources of metals like iron and manganese. Coal was exploited as fuel, clays for pottery, and brick making; limestone provides cement and the sands, and gravels are sources of aggregate. The county has many abandoned quarries and today, these give us perfect opportunities to see the underlying geology.
To read more visit “The Geological Evolution of Warwickshire” by Jonathan D. Radley
Wanting to find out more about sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks? How to identify them, what they are composed of, see how they are used and the landscapes they are found in. Then click here to visit this useful resource.
See our page on the geology of The Burton Dassett Hills Country Park. There’s lots there.
Last Updated on 15 Apr 2021