SCARBOROUGH, ENGLAND (June 8, 2015) — When we do field Independent Study projects in the Wooster Geology Department, we never know the exact topic until we’ve tested ideas on the actual outcrops. Today we did the last of our general exploration, and then at lunch Meredith Mann (’16) and Mae Kemsley (’16) decided on what they wanted to do for their projects. Meredith chose to study the fossil community associated with Thalassinoides trace fossils in the Birdsall Calcareous Grit Member of the Coralline Oolite Formation (Upper Jurassic, Oxfordian) at Filey Brigg. She’s shown above on one of the exposed bedding planes she will soon be examining in detail. Mae’s choice? You’ll read it here tomorrow.
We started our day in Cayton Bay, south of Scarborough. We had a long walk at high tide from our car south along the coast. After we hit the boulders in the middle of the view above, we saw no one else for the rest of the morning. The cliff is capped by Oxfordian limestones, with the thick Oxford Clay beneath. We had a few drops of rain while in Cayton Bay, but they didn’t develop into more than a sprinkle.
We couldn’t cross the boulder field (boulders and steep slopes are a theme of this expedition) until the tide receded a bit, so we spent some time examining this cliff exposure of the Osgodby Formation (Middle Jurassic, Callovian).
We crossed over Yons Nab (you just have to love these English place names) into Gristhorpe Bay to the south. Again, no other souls on this sunny day. After a quiet lunch, we retraced our route back to the car. The general reconnaissance is done. Time to start our work.
Back to Filey Brigg. This is a view down the axis of the Brigg as it enters the sea. Note what a spectacular day it is.
Our job this afternoon was to work out the protocols of Meredith’s research, and pick her work sites. This is a beautiful exposure of the Birdsall Calcareous Grit Member on the north side of Filey Brigg. Note the Thalassinoides in place above Meredith. Meredith will be measuring and describing a section of the units here, and doing her mapping and collecting on the loose block along the Brigg itself.
Tomorrow we start Mae’s project!
