GEOLOGY

The quarry includes many geological features. The marvellous exposures of Frosterley Marble as well as the 'cyclothems' - layers of differing rock types - of the Carboniferous period. Our 'Geology Garden' shows the geological timeline of our planet and when various lifeforms emerged. The viewing circle at the western end of the quarry gives wonderful views and shows some of the names that quarrymen gave to different layers of rock. The geology of the quarry provides geologists with a great opportunity for study but is also fascinating for schools or simply passers by.

FROSTERLEY MARBLE

Frosterley Marble is in fact a fossil rich limestone from the early Carboniferous period. It has been widely used as a decorative stone in churches and private houses. Many local churches have fonts made from the 'marble' and Durham Cathedral has pillars in the Chapel of the Nine Altars.
The fossils are solitary corals (Dibunophyllum bipartite) which lived in shallow tropical seas. The project has installed a new footbridge, accessed by a permissive path linking the public footpaths surrounding the quarry. The bridge has been positioned to give a view of the 'marble' beds in the stream below and has interpretation panels explaining the geological scene.

The images above show visitors on the new bridge and a view of what can be seen in the streambed below. The long white flecks are the fossil remains. The limestone has been worn smooth by the action of water and rocks.
In Summer the stream bed is dry for several months as the reduced amount of water sinks into cave passages upstream. The picture below shows the bottom of the limestone gorge where the water re-emerges from the cave passages. In wet weather this gorge becomes a series of waterfalls. As in the lower image.