Centipedes and Climate
Friday 2nd September, 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm. The walk is run as part of the Northumberland Coast AONB series of geo-diversity walks.
Walk summary: Imagine finding a centipede under a rock. Now imagine that centipede is over 2m long and half a metre wide. This is what happened to a Cambridge research student a few years ago, on a walk along the shore here at Howick. Admittedly the creature was a long time dead, having been preserved in one of the silty sandstones of the Carboniferous period which crop out here. Nonetheless it was spectacular find, being the largest specimen of a creature named Arthropleura which has ever been found. The specimen has been taken away for further research at Cambridge University, but we can still explore the sedimentary sequence in which this creature was preserved and find out why this creature could grow so big. This is not the only giant to be found in these rocks so who knows what else we may find!
Do I need to book? This event has to be booked in advance. The walk costs £10 for each adult (children free). The walk will be limted to 20 people. To book a place on this walk please This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with your name and telephone number and I will send you bank details for Northumbrian Earth. Once you have made the payment I will confrm your place. If you aren't able to come on the walk for whatever reason please let me know, send me your bank details and I will refund the cost of the walk. Refunds will only be given if you get in touch prior to the walk.
Where do we meet? We meet at the parking spot on the bend by Sea Houses Farm just south of Howick. Grid refrerence NU258173.
How long is the walk? This walk will be approximately 5 km and will involve a short steep scramble to the foreshore and some scrambling across rocks on the foreshore. Strong boots are recommended and some may find walking poles helpful.
What else do I need to know? Full details will be sent out on email to everyone who books.
Image for this event: Photo by John McColgan, fire behaviour analyst with the BLM's Alaska Fire Service: John McColgan – Edited by Fir0002, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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Interesting items
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In Praise of Pentagonal
A sharp eyed walk along the beach at Cocklawburn or on Lindisfarne and with a bit of luck you may find a small disc, shaped like a tiny petrified polo mint.
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Where has Hadrian’s Wall Gone?
Before I answer that question, here is a little bit of background information from a manuscript fragment recently discovered in an obscure roman outpost at Ecclesia Novum-Oppidum near to the Fluvium Collegium (surprisingly close to where I live!) and published in the journal Falsus Nuntium.
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Northumberland Coast Rocks!
This project, which was completed during 2015 organised by the Howick Heritage Group and supported with HLF funding, delivered a book, some educational work with a local first and middle school and a series of walks and talks. In this section of geo-diversity resources you can have a look at the presentation given for the walks and talks as well as much of the material which was used in the educational work including lesson plans, activities and exercises. There is also a handy guide to fossils to be found on the beach at Seahouses (and elsewhere on the coast).
Testimonials
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"Ian is the Brian Cox of Northumbria's rocks"
Ted Wheadon