Geological Excursions in the Bristol District

Geology needs rocks! And Bristol has many places to look at rocks AND many different rocks to look at!

Indeed the first (1912) excursion guide to the Bristol District (by S. H. Reynolds, the third professor of geology at the university) said “Owing to the remarkably varied character of its rocks, the Bristol district seems specially marked out for a geological handbook.”

Reynolds’ guide was superseded, in 1977, by “Geological Excursions in the Bristol District” edited by Professor R. J. G. Savage (ISBN 0 901239 22 4), and it is this which I make use of on this web site. It is unlikely that the present Department of Earth Sciences will produce an up to date version of this guide, but fortunately it is a very good guide and I do not think that there is anything “wrong” in it. Much may be out of date, and interpretations be different, but the rocks are the same as in 1977, and will be for the next few millennia.

The guide was published by the University, but the University is no longer a publisher. Most of the contributors are no longer with us, and a source in the Department was not able to suggest anyone to approach for permission to use the contents of the book. If any interested party objects to things I extract, I will, of course, remove it from this site.

Each chapter is in PDF format and can be downloaded. It can be opened with Adobe Reader which you probably have already, but if not can be obtained, free, from HERE.

Geological Excursions in the Bristol District

Front MatterOriginal Scans
Chapter 1 – The southern Malvern Hills by J. W. Cowie and D. L. SpeedymanOriginal Scans
Chapter 2 – The Quantock and Brendon Hills, West Somerset and North Devon by D. L. DineleyOriginal Scans
Chapter 3 – The sedimentology and structure of the Upper Palaeozoic rocks at Portishead by B.P.J. Williams and P. L. HancockOriginal Scans
Chapter 4 – Volcanic rocks of the Bristol region by D. L. SpeedymanOriginal Scans
Chapter 5 – The Carboniferous Limestone of the Mendip Hills by R. J. G. SavageOriginal Scans
Chapter 6 – Limestone features and the geomorphological evolution of the Mendip Hills by D. Ingle SmithOriginal Scans
Chapter 7 – Fossil plants from the Somerset coalfield by K. C. AllenOriginal Scans
Chapter 8 – The geology of Cattybrook brick pit, Almondsbury by P. L. Hancock and B.P.J. WilliamsOriginal Scans
Chapter 9 – The Mesozoic strata of the Mendip Hills by R. J. G. SavageOriginal Scans
Chapter 10 – Coastal exposures near Blue Anchor, Watchet and St. Audrie’s Bay, North Somerset by D. Hamilton and A. WhittakerOriginal Scans
Chapter 11 – Aust Cliff by D. HamiltonOriginal Scans
Chapter 12 – Jurassic rocks of the Bath area by A. B. HawkinsOriginal Scans
Chapter 13 – William Smith localities by R. BradshawOriginal Scans
Chapter 14 – The south and mid Cotswolds by J. W. Murray and P. L. HancockOriginal Scans
Chapter 15 – Westbury and Northern Wiltshire by A. N. Insole and C. A. WrightOriginal Scans
Chapter 16 – The Quaternary of the North Somerset area by A. B. HawkinsOriginal Scans
BibliographyOriginal Scans