World Class Geology in North-East Yorkshire

North and East Yorkshire have some of the best Jurassic and Cretaceous geology in the world.

Erosion of the massive cliffs reveals an array of spectacular fossils.

The deep valleys formed during the last Ice Age give many inland exposures and spectacular beauty spots.

The wide range of fossils provides evidence for the changing environment of tropical seas, rivers and swamps in the region’s ancient past.

Scarborough Museums & Gallery

Scarborough Museums and Gallery has one of the foremost collections of Jurassic geology on the Yorkshire Coast.

With over 5500 fossils and 3000 minerals, the strengths of the collection include: numerous type specimens, which were the first of their kind ever to be described and one finest collections of Middle Jurassic fossil plants in the country.

The collection also includes a large selection of Cretaceous fossils from the Speeton Clay and the Chalk, a wide variety of Upper and Lower Jurassic specimens, specimens from the Ice Age such as mammoth teeth and fossils from the Kirkdale Cave and a pristine Carboniferous plant collection.

Currently, the collection is being catalogued and conserved in preparation for redisplay in the Rotunda Museum, where William Smith (The Father of English Geology) originally envisaged their home.

Spectacular specimens have been chosen from the collection to go on temporary display in Wood End Museum and on this website. This gives a taste of the quality and range of our fossils and minerals that due to limited exhibition space, are often in storage.

Whitby Museum

Whitby Museum has one of the foremost collections of Jurassic geology on the Yorkshire Coast.

The unique collection focusing on material local to Whitby, contains over 6500 fossils and minerals.

The museum is famous for the spectacular marine reptiles (including Plesiosaurs and Ichthyosaurs) set into the museum walls.

The geology is currently being redisplayed and now takes you on a journey through the tropical seas of the Lower Jurassic, onto the lush deltas of the Middle Jurassic and into the warm seas of the Upper Jurassic. Also explored, are the animals and landscape of the last Ice Age, the geology of Whitby today, the alum industry and local geology pioneers.

The main strengths of the collection are: a wide selection of internationally important Lower Jurassic fossils, ranging from large marine reptiles, such as Plesiosaurs, Ichthyosaurs and a crocodile, to ammonites, belemnites and fish; an extensive collection of Middle Jurassic plants; a collection of minerals from the alum mining industry; material from the last Ice Age. Unusually, many type fossils, which are the first of their kind ever to be described, are on display.

Geology sites

This area is very important for looking at geology because there is so much to see compared to other places.

The rugged coastline provides slices through the rocks that are often more than a hundred metres thick and are much more complete and extensive than elsewhere.

This means it is easy to see how the fossils change as the rocks get older or younger. In the rest of the UK, the same rocks are usually hidden deep beneath the ground. Smaller exposures complete the picture inland.

Clues to the more recent geological past are seen in the spectacular landscape of valleys and hills formed in the Last Ice Age.

There are many examples in North and East Yorkshire of how the landscape that has been altered during the Last Ice Age. Spectacular valleys such as Newton Dale and Forge Valley cut through the landscape. These were formed when glacial lakes dammed by the ice, escaped through geological weak points to release massive torrents.

The boulder clay dumped by the retreating ice can be seen mostly between Scarborough and the River Humber, but good examples are at Filey Brigg and Holbeck Hall landslip (on the south side of Scarborough) where the unstable boulder clay has slipped into the sea.

Numerous erratic boulders litter the landscape, giving a glimpse of the massive power of the ice. These boulders, which are often very large, have been brought in the ice from as far a field as Scotland, the Lake District and even Scandinavia. They were then dumped when the ice melted. A large example can be seen near the entrance to Seamer station, near Scarborough, smaller examples litter the coast and are
easily picked out at places such as Robin Hood’s Bay.

Where can I find this geology?

The best place to see the chalk in East Yorkshire is Flamborough Head and Bempton (there are no exposures in North Yorkshire). Here, the chalk forms towering cliffs several hundred metres high and is eroded into sea stacks and arches.

Inland, the soft rocks are quickly covered by vegetation, forming the low rolling countryside of the Yorkshire Wolds, around Bridlington and Driffield.

Where can I find this geology?

This geology forms the distinctive Tabular Hills inland from Scarborough and Whitby. The hills are flat topped and have very steep sides where the hard rocks such as the Lower Calcareous Grit, come to the surface.

Particularly good exposures can be seen in Forge Valley, at Cayton Bay and at Castle Headland, Scarborough.

Where can I find this geology?

One of the best places to find this geology is on the coast, between Scalby Mills and Ravenscar and at Whitby.

Here the cliffs are made up of massive sandstones, sometimes containing dinosaur footprints.

Inland, the Middle Jurassic rocks can be found under much of the heather moorland.

Where can I find this geology?

Some of the best places to see these rocks are around Whitby and Robin Hood’s Bay.

The large quarries at Ravenscar are an excellent place to visit the remains of the alum industry that exploited these rocks.

Enquiries

	If you have a fossil that you want us to identify, please contact Dave Gelsthorpe and bring it along to Scarborough or Whitby Museum.
	If you live outside the Dinosaur Coast, your local museum will be able to direct you to someone who can help.
	If you have a scientific enquiry about the collections, please contact Dave Gelsthorpe with specific details.
	If you have an enquiry about the Dinosaur Coast contact Will Watts.