SAGT News 2021
Geo Week, 1st to 9th May 2021
The viewpoint above the Porter Valley – on a good day! (photo P. Kennett)
Covid restrictions meant that SAGT was unable to advertise its usual geological walks in and around Sheffield, but instead offered an outdoor activity by personal invitation to members of two local groups –the Friends of the Porter Valley and the Sheffield U3A Geology group. Groups of up to 6 people were invited to participate.
With the impending international conference on climate change in Glasgow in November, there has been a heightened awareness generally of the need to address the issue of “zero-carbon”. The voluntary Earthlearningidea website has drafted 26 different activities exploring how carbon levels might be mitigated or what adaptation measures could be applied to reduce the impact of climate change. Each activity asks the question, “Could this happen here? If so, should it happen here?
Two groups totalling 9 Covid-compliant people braved the wet, cold and windy weather to consider the issues from the vantage point at the stone-built viewpoint at the head of the Porter Valley (SK2846 8424) , and tried to imagine the distant views through the clag! For a start, of the 6 coal-fired power stations visible on a clear day and named on the plaque that was installed in 2005, only Drax is now operational –and coal has been replaced by 7 million tonnes of wood pellets being imported from North America each year!
Looking over the city and considering the geology and geography of the area stimulated interesting discussions ranging over various options for reducing CO2 emissions in the area and adapting to climate change. These discussions will assist Earthlearningidea to revise the activities, but in the meantime the present ones are available at:
Coincidentally, a report on how Sheffield might achieve “zero carbon” has just been produced by Arup, on behalf of Sheffield City Council:
Why not visit this viewpoint, or a similar one, armed with some of the activities on an I-Pad or a tablet and see what you think?
Assisting Natural England, Part 2
SAGT can report that all the Sites of Special Interest allocated to it by Natural England were surveyed in time for the deadline at the end of March. Surveying of the higher level sites in the Dark Peak had to wait until the snow had melted, although conditions were still far from ideal, with cold weather and soggy peat bogs. Sites at Blackden Brook, Alport Castles, Alport Valley, Howden Moors, and Featherbed Moss, near the Snake summit were all assessed and found to be in largely good condition. The criteria to be reviewed included the solid geology, the features of a large-scale landslide and the nature of peat bogs.
The landslide at Alport Castles (photo: J.C. Cripps)
Featherbed Moss – run-off control measures reduce erosion of peat (photo: J.C.Cripps)
At rather short notice, Natural England was asked by the Government to assess the state of many geological Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) across the country.
As a member of the Geology Trusts, SAGT undertook to survey two SSSIs on its own “patch” and to assist the Derbyshire group in evaluating one site on the Eastern Peak District Moors and five in the Dark Peak. Although most sites are Open Access, landowner permission had to be obtained first, and this resulted in considerable delay for the Dark Peak sites, work on which cannot be started until the current inclement weather and consequent flooding has passed.
So far, SAGT members have surveyed the well-known Cresswell Crags; a length of railway cutting at Neepsend; and the Burbage Valley/Hathersage Moors. The Cresswell Crags site, famous for its archaeological artifacts, is well maintained by the Heritage Centre.
The Neepsend section, along the former Woodhead railway line, has become badly overgrown since the original SSSI survey in the 1990s and it would take more than the notional 2 hours with a pick and shovel to re-expose the classic exposure of lacustrine sediments in the Langsettian!
The Burbage Valley/Hathersage Moors SSSI was assessed for the state of the sedimentary structures in the Namurian grits and for the periglacial geomorphology. Thanks to excellent management from the tenant farmer and responsible behaviour by the vast majority of its many users for leisure activity, SAGT was able to submit a very favourable report to Natural England.
The Neepsend cutting from the road bridge
(photo Peter Kennett)
SAGT at work in the Burbage Valley (photo John Cripps)
Panorama of the Burbage Valley (photo Peter Kennett)
