In May, committee member Vernon Hughes met with Garry Dawson of the Somerset Geology Group at Bicknoller Quarry. The aim was to work out how Friends of the Quantocks can best show off the geology of our recently acquired quarry.
The rocks at Bicknoller are a part of the Hangman Sandstone Group of mid-Devonian age i.e. about 390million years old. The sands and mud that made the rocks were deposited close to a shoreline with sand banks, shallow channels and intermittent lakes. This was a time when life was leaving the sea and gaining a foothold on land so could we find evidence of this happening?
An environment of rapidly changing sandbanks is not promising and it was long believed that the Hangman Sandstones have almost no fossils. That’s why, a year ago, there was much excitement at the discovery of “the world’s oldest forest” in rocks of the same age on the coast west of Minehead. Finding anything similar in our small quarry is probably too much to expect, especially as it contains little of the mudstones formed in calmer conditions. But you never know …….
Although the Hangman Sandstone makes up most of the northern part of the hills it’s not easy to see a substantial amount of it with safety. Bicknoller Quarry could be a good place to explain their formation and point out features such as ripple marks made by the shallow water and the later tilting of the rocks to the west. Friends of the Quantocks are considering the best way to do this as recent rock falls and loose scree make approaching the rock faces dangerous. We’ll keep you informed about the easy-to-see geology but in the meantime please just look from a safe distance.
You can help us to preserve and interpret the Bicknoller Quarry site, as well as other important conservation projects, by becoming a Friend of the Quantocks