Blue John fluorspar

Of the many varieties of fluorspar found in the Peak District of Derbyshire, by far the best known is Blue John, long used for the manufacture of a variety of ornaments and jewellery.     

Dr Woodward's 350‐year legacy

Almost three hundred and fifty years ago, on 1 May 1667, in Draycott, Derbyshire, northern England, John Woodward was born. Although we know precious little about his early life, he left a legacy that has resonated down the centuries. In a letter written in 1723 to a physician friend, John Allen of Bridgewater, five years before he died, Woodward confided that ‘I have bequeathd … an Hundred & Fifty Pounds per annum to the University of Cambridge, which I intreat [sic] you to keep secret …’     

Castleton,Derbyshire, UK

The area around Castleton in the English county of Derbyshire has extensive outcrops of Carboniferous Limestone, showing complex sedimentary facies changes as well as interleaved extrusive basaltic volcanic rocks. Overlying these are the lower parts of the Millstone Grit, ranging from marine shales through a variety of deltaic sandstones. The limestones are hosts to hydrothermal mineral deposits, with veins containing galena, fluorspar, baryte and calcite. A unique variety of fluorspar is Blue John, mined for ornamental purposes since the mid‐eighteenth century. Landscape features include a massive landslip, dry valleys, loess, dolines, scree slopes and various karstic landforms. A complex hydrological system encompasses numerous caves, of which four are open to visitors.     

A Farey story: the pioneer geologist John Farey (1766–1826)

John Farey was a pioneer British geologist whose work has been too long overlooked. His only major geological publication was concealed in what appears to be a local report on the agriculture and minerals of Derbyshire, commissioned by the Board of Agriculture and published in three volumes between 1811 and 1817. Farey also published an extraordinary amount in periodicals and prepared a remarkable series of geological maps and cross-sections which were never published, although a number of hand-drawn copies circulated and undoubtedly influenced the rise of stratigraphical geology.     

Aspects of dinantian sedimentation in the edale basin,north derbyshire

The Dinantian Edale Basin is located to the north of the Derbyshire carbonate platform and underlies the Upper Carboniferous of the central Pennines. The Edale Basin was thought to be part of a large basin which extended from the Derbyshire carbonate platform to the Askrigg Block. The presence of aggregate grains and ooids in the Alport Borehole suggests that a carbonate platform, possibly located on the Holme structural high, was present underneath the central Pennines. This platform is called the Holme Platform. The Arundian to early Asbian section of the Alport Borehole represents deposition of resedimented shallow-water carbonates with occasional bioturbated periplatform carbonates and basinal shales on the middle part of a carbonate ramp. Volcaniclastic sediments may have been derived from a volcanic centre within the Edale Basin. A change in sedimentation during the mid-Asbian to the deposition of basinal shales and distal carbonate turbidites is attributed to starvation of the basin. This may have been caused by a combination of the development of accretionary rimmed carbonate shelves and the repeated emergence of shelf carbonates deposited on surrounding carbonate platforms. The late Asbian/early Brigantian section of the Edale Borehole is interpreted as a distal equivalent of the ‘Beach Beds’ which outcrop at the north margin of the Derbyshire carbonate platform. The ‘Beach Beds’ represent bioclastic turbidites derived from the Derbyshire carbonate platform. Throughout the Brigantian, sedimentation in the Edale Basin was dominated by the deposition of distal carbonate turbidites and basinal shales. Variation of dip through the Alport Borehole indicates the common occurrence of slumps throughout the sequence and the presence of either an angular unconformity or a fault within the early Brigantian section.     

Notes on Mississippian echinoderms from Hurdlow,Derbyshire, central England

The fossil echinoderms of the Lower Carboniferous (Mississippian) of Derbyshire remain understudied, principally due to the nature of the preservation rather than any lack of biodiversity. Echinoids and crinoids are described in float blocks of limestone from near Hurdlow, Derbyshire, which have been etched naturally after many years of being washed by weakly acidic rain. Surface detail is variable, commonly poor, but rare specimens retain enough features for tentative identification. Two species of echinoids are identified from rare disarticulated plates, namely Melonechinus? sp. (ambulacral plates) and archaeocidarid sp. (interambulacral plate); more and superior material will be necessary to confirm this division. Crinoids include a cladid brachial ossicle sp. with a distinctive sculpture; a columnal of a monobathrid camerate platycrinitid sp.; Annulocolumnus (col.) sp. cf. A. annulus Donovan, a columnal morphotaxon with an unusually broad axial canal; and Cyclocyclicus (col.) spp. This is the tenth echinoid site to be recognized from the Mississippian of the White Peak. Examination of etched float blocks provides a further method of investigation of the echinoderm fauna of this and other limestone areas.     

RE-INTERPRETATION OF THE CYRTINA SEPTOSA BAND DATA, LOWER CARBONIFEROUS OF DERBYSHIRE, ENGLAND, BY COMPUTER ANALYSIS

Re-interpretation of Cyrtina septosa Band (Lower Carboniferous) data from Derbyshire (England) by trend analysis reveals previously unrecognised but meaningful sedimentational patterns. Trends in geographic variation of number of shells; their disarticulation, orientation, and size; and thickness of the Band are judged to be indicative of water depth and turbulence, conditions of accumulation, and source.     

Vertical temperature structure in a cave environment

Investigations have been made into the vertical temperature gradients in Poole's Cavern, Derbyshire, U. K. Temperatures were recorded onto a data logger every 10 minutes at 10 sites in the cave and sampled for eight monthly periods during 1989/90. It was found that, in summer, cave temperatures were almost isothermal with a strong outflow of cool air at the cave entrance. In winter, cold air flowed into the cave whenever outside temperatures fell below those of the cave, to produce a strong inversion of temperature. Highest temperatures were found in the highest parts of the main chamber. When winds forced air into the cave entrance, the temperature gradient depended upon the relative temperature differences between outside and inside. Cluster analysis demonstrated distinct areas of similar temperature variation. In summer there were no real differences, while in winter the entrance tunnel and lower parts of the cave were markedly different from the higher parts. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

New carboniferous Polyzoa from Derbyshire

The highly fossiliferous fore-reef limestones of B₂ age from near Castleton, Derbyshire are rich in Polyzoa. Ten species are described, six of them new.     

The Carboniferous Southern Pennine Basin,UK

Many of the Carboniferous outcrops located in the Derbyshire region of the Peak District National Park, UK, have provided sites for both significant and pioneering research relating to the clastic sedimentology of marine palaeoenvironments, particularly so during the 1960s and 1970s when early models describing the sedimentary architecture of fluvio‐deltaic, submarine‐slope and deep‐marine submarine‐fan sedimentation were first developed. The area was subject to hydrocarbon exploration from the 1920s to 1950s, which although unsuccessful in economic terms left a legacy of sub‐surface data. Despite a long‐history of sedimentological research, the deposits exposed at several classic localities in the Pennine Basin continue to broaden and challenge our current understanding of sedimentary processes to this day.     

Geological history and significance of a laminated and slumped unit in the Carboniferous Limestone of the Monsal Dale region,Derbyshire

A laminated and slumped limestone bed from the Carboniferous Limestone of Derbyshire, known as the Rosewood Marble, is described in detail. The laminations comprise alternations of micrite and dolomite, the dolomite laminae originally being fine grainstones. The bed was deposited on a slope and slipping and sliding gave rise to tensional features such as pull-apart structures and compressional features such as slump folds. Evidence suggests that the palaeoslope was inclined towards the south-southeast and caused by synsedimentary movements of the Longstone Edge monocline and/or the Priestcliffe syncline. Diagenetic features described include cementation, dolomitization, calcite pseudomorphs after replacement anhydrite and silicification.     

Feature. The Mam Tor landslip: still moving after all these years

The Mam Tor area (5 km west of Castleton, Derbyshire) is a perennial favourite for field visits by school and university parties and enthusiastic amateurs. As well as displaying the local stratigraphic relationships between the lower Carboniferous limestones and the overlying Edale mudstone/Mam Tor beds sequence, the major slope failure of the eastern side of Mam Tor is spectacularly developed.     

Sub‐fossil Chironomidae as indicators of palaeoflow regimes: integration into the PalaeoLIFE flow index

The sub‐fossil head capsules of larval Chironomidae have been widely exploited as palaeoecological indicators of lentic ecosystems but their value in the interpretation of the evolution of lotic systems has been underutilised by comparison. Recent research has demonstrated that the remains of Chironomidae are abundant within fluvial sequences and that they offer a valuable record of channel change and floodplain evolution that may complement that derived from existing biological and sedimentological techniques. This paper demonstrates the use of Chironomidae in characterising the palaeoflow regime of a large mid–late Holocene floodplain palaeochannel (5470–4960 to 1530–1350 cal. a BP) of the River Trent (Derbyshire, UK). Using expert knowledge and published information regarding flow preferences, larval Chironomidae were incorporated into the PalaeoLIFE (Lotic‐invertebrate Index for Flow Evaluation) methodology. The results clearly demonstrate that the sub‐fossil record provided by Chironomidae can be used to characterise changes in the flow regime within palaeochannel sections. At the scale of the channel section, species‐ and generic‐level ecological associations can provide useful information regarding habitat characteristics, including the presence of instream vegetation, mineral substrates and woody debris. The ability to undertake environmental reconstruction and channel evolution history was significantly enhanced through the application of a multi‐proxy approach, by incorporating other aquatic insect groups (Trichoptera and Coleoptera) into the PalaeoLIFE metric, together with sedimentological data. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Lead miners' soughs in Derbyshire

Long before the science of geology was established, the Derbyshire lead miners used elementary practical geology in laying out the lines of their soughs, or drainage levels, to gain any possible advantage of easier excavation. Their objective was to lower the water table, so as to make the deeper parts of mineral veins available for exploitation.     

Review of tufa deposition and palaeohydrological conditions in the White Peak,Derbyshire, UK: implications for Quaternary landscape evolution

This review considers the geological and geomorphological context of tufa barrages that occupy buried valley settings in the Wye catchment, Derbyshire. It describes the potential relationship of the tufa with locations of hypothesised river captures and inception horizon-guided groundwater flow paths. Tufa barrage development is associated with steps in the bedrock, which may be related to knick-point recession during river capture. Broad estimates of valley incision have been calculated from previously dated deposits. These support current interpretations of particularly significant effective base-level lowering during the Anglian and Devensian stages of the Quaternary and have the potential to add to the knowledge of regional uplift histories.     

Dinantian sedimentation and the basement structure of the Derbyshire Dome

The depositional history of the Dinantian on the Derbyshire Dome can be divided into three phases: (1) pre-Holkerian: onlap of an irregular basement surface by evaporite and carbonate sediments, (2) Holkerian to Asbian: sedimentation on a carbonate shelf formed by the merging of early Dinantian depocentres following burial of the basement topography, and (3) Brigantian: formation of intrashelf basins and the development of a carbonate ramp on part of the pre-existing shelf. A model of the basement structure underlying the Derbyshire Dome is presented to explain the location of the Brigantian intrashelf basins and carbonate ramp. The basement consists of two main tilted fault blocks separated by a smaller tilt block. Movement on faults bounding the tilt blocks caused the development of intrashelf basins. The basin margins were controlled by structures which developed in the cover sediments. The carbonate ramp present during the late Brigantian developed in response to an eastward tilting of the basement.     

How does law make place? Localisation,translocalisation and thing-law at the world’s first factory

This article examines how law is implicated in the formation of place, and how place in turn can shape law. It is an empirical explication of Latour’s call for researchers to study the global through its local instantiations. Drawing upon recent theoretical work in both material culture studies and legal geography the article examines the interplay of law and material formations at one originating site, Sir Richard Arkwright’s Cromford Mills in Derbyshire in order to examine the creation and circulation of a new form of place in the late eighteenth century: the industrial scale cotton mill. It shows how a diverse range of legal elements ranging across patent law, the Calico Acts and ancient local Derbyshire lead mining laws all helped to shape that place-form, its proliferation across the United Kingdom, and ultimately further afield. In doing so the article conceptualises processes of localisation, translocalisation and thing-law by which the abstractions of both place-forms and law elements become activated through their pragmatic local emplacement. Whilst the case study concerns 200 year old place-making machinations, many of the spatio-legal articulations of Arkwright and his opponents have a surprisingly modern feel about them. The paper therefore advocates the benefits of a longitudinal, historical approach to the study of place-making, and in particular, calls for a greater attentiveness in legal geography to law’s role in the intentional formation of (work)places by their owners.     

Speleogenesis: the evolution of the Castleton caves

Castleton, in North Derbyshire, is unique in Britain in having four caves open to tourists, as well as several ‘mid’ caves, most of which are only accessible to potholers and speleologists. Together, the tourist and wild caves tell a fascinating story of speleogenesis — the growth and development of a cave system. Both geologists and geomorphologists often ignore cave systems, but such systems play an important part in the evolution of the landscape as we see it today.     

Fluorine, a direct indicator of fluorite mineralization in local and regional soil geochemical surveys

Little information is available on the use of fluorine as a direct indicator of fluorite mineralization in geochemical exploration. Until the last five to ten years, analytical methods were generally lacking good precision and were cumbersome, time-consuming and expensive, thus restricting their use in geochemical exploration work. Recently developed, rapid, partial and total fluoride extraction methods with subsequent analysis using the selective-ion electrode have made practicable the use of fluorine as a direct indicator of fluorite mineralization. This paper outlines some results of fluorine studies on soils from the fluorine province of Derbyshire, England. Some partial extraction and total fluoride analytical methods are described. Their applicability to the location of vein fluorite mineralization, concealed below both residual soil and soil developed over transported overburden, is demonstrated. Where drainage is virtually absent and soils offer the only suitable regional sampling medium, as in Derbyshire, England, soil geochemistry is shown to be a reliable tool in reconnaissance exploration work for fluorite deposits.     

A cyclicity in the early brigantian (D2) limestones east of the clwydian range,north wales and its use in correlation

For the first time, minor cyclicity is described from some limestones in the lower part of the Brigantian (D2) succession of the Mold district North Wales which can be traced throughout the area enabling a detailed correlation to be established. The minor cyclicity may have been caused by eustatic sea-level fluctuations. Periods of emergence associated with each regressive phase are demonstrated by the presence of subaerial features and terrestrial deposits. The lateral persistence of the cycles is confirmed by comparison with established faunal and lithological horizons. Correlation with other cyclic Brigantian strata in Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Bristol is briefly discussed. The Asbian/Brigantian (D1/D2) boundary in North Wales is described and distinctive faunal and lithological changes similar to those in the area of the stratotype in north England have been recorded.