This book tells the story of the geological history of Dorset. It consists of 19 short chapters, beautifully illustrated with a variety of black & white photographs and diagrams. I was initially struck by the wonderful photograph of Durdle Door and St.Oswald’s Bay on the front cover.

The Introduction and Chapter One set the scene by presenting the reader with a geological column, a simplified geological map of the county, and a brief account of the fundamental geological processes that conspired to make Dorset’s landscape what it is today. The following Chapters of the book begin with a geological map and brief description of Time, Latitude, Climate, Environment, Formation and Rock. Chapter titles are particularly inviting - E.g. Of Snuff-Boxes and Sponges. Technical terms are carefully explained in a five page Glossary and for those wanting more information there is a Further Reading section.

Jurassic and Cretaceous rocks form the main focus of the book. The stratigraphical story is engaging and unfolds leaving the reader eager to continue into the next chapter to see what happened next. Chapter 12, Purbeck Park: Fishes, Frogs, Dinosaurs and Mammals, is a good example of where the author has indeed opened “windows with unusual views” on climate, environment, faunas, floras and much more. Also, man’s involvement and exploitation of natural resources (Kimmeridge Clay and Portland Stone) through time have been incorporated where appropriate into the story. The authors passion and enthusiasm for Dorset geology is clearly evident. I heartily recommend the Discover Dorset Geology to all.

The book is widely available throughout the county of Dorset. However you can purchase directly from the publishers: The Dovecote Press Ltd., Stanbridge, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 4JD Tel: 01258 840549

Review by Paul Kabrna C.Geol

This is an excellent publication by Earthwise Publications (BGS) and fills the gap in the market for basic geological information without going to the scientific journals and publications which are often beyond the average reader. It also makes an excellent companion for Yorkshire Rock - a journey through time (Earthwise Publications).

At first glance the size of the map is off-putting. It easily fits into a map case but does stick out of a coat pocket. However, the laminated surface is waterproof and I have used it on several occasions in damp and raining conditions. The stiffness gives the Map a rigidity which should test the rigours of time and the folds do not appear to weak.

The front photograph is of a high standard and gives the reader the classic view of the North York Moors and these are conveniently located on the map of Britain. The lack of colour contrast of the map and blue background does not attract the eye towards the map and therefore it is easily missed.

Inside there is an excellent map constructed from a background satellite image overlain by a geological map. The 3-D relief imaging system is very good and I have used this with parties in a variety of lighting and weather conditions where the majority of people were able to appreciate the 3-D affect. The satellite image is so good that individual fields can be seen thus making the map ideal for use with students who are studying landscapes and landscape uses. The physical features of the landscape, for example, valleys and scarps show up very well in 3-D. The Holiday from Space section describes the map well and is useful in giving further information about forests, field boundaries, etc.

The Landscape and Geology Key section are well colour coded and the information provided is basic but useful giving names of Formations and Ages without confusing the average reader. The geological Systems are given but not described which could confuse the average "non-geological" reader.

The geological section I found to be too small and difficult to interpret and could cause confusion. Its size and position will not assist the average reader especially if they have sight problems. Geologists' always want to give cross-sections but often the average reader finds these difficult to comprehend without more information. I understand with a map of this size there is a premium on space and so I wonder if missing out the section would detract from such an excellent overall publication.

I feel the map is incomplete in some areas notably the Yorkshire Wolds as the Flamborough - Howardian Fault Belt appears to finish at the western edge of the Wolds and yet there is enough information available to show that the faults could be drawn across the Wolds to Flamborough via the Great Wold Valley (the satellite image is so good as to trace the line of the fault). Such an addition would enhance the map and make the geological map complete.

The rear panels are taken from Richard Bell's excellent Yorkshire Rock - a journey through time and are well illustrated and informative with easy cross referencing to the main map. Only a few illustrations lack clarity. This may be due to the printing process, for example, The Alum Quarries at Ravenscar and the piece of Whitby Jet do not show their true colours.

In conclusion I found the publication excellent in the information provided and the ease of handling. For the 'lay-person' the information is presented at the right level while for the more informed landscape geologist or geographer the satellite base map provides a invaluable resource despite the omissions of faults. The retail price is very reasonable and I look forward to seeing more areas of the country being covered.

Review by Richard Myerscough (Hull Geological Society)

This account of the stone quarrying of Dorset compliments Paul Ensom's book describing the Geology of Dorset which was reviewed in Y.G.S. Circular No.479. Both books are in the Discover Dorset Series.

The geology of Dorset ranges from Lower Lias to Quaternary, so the county has a wide variety of rock types and many interesting building stones. The introduction summarises, the geology, history of use of building stone in Dorset, quarrying methods, masonry, and the topographical areas of the county. The building stones are then discussed area by area and formation by formation. Excellent photographs of buildings and quarries with a series of maps enhance the well-written text. The author, having lived in Dorset since 1940, has an impressive knowledge of the region's quarries and buildings. Long and careful research has enabled invaluable links to be made between quarries, buildings and their stone. Dorset and its building stone heritage demonstrates how the buildings give character to any landscape, and allow a fascinating insight into the local history and geology of the area. The book is packed with information and although much of the local detail would be better appreciated with a knowledge of Dorset, it also includes accounts of the history of use of two Nationally important building stones - the classic Portland Stone and Purbeck Marble.

Dorset is well worth a visit for its interesting and varied geology, and armed with this pocket sized book and the one by Paul Ensom, a fascinating trip could be made.

The book is available from bookshops or directly from the publisher: The Dovecote Press Ltd., Stanbridge, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 4JD Tel: 01258 840549

Review by Murray Mitchell

It is a refreshing change, therefore, to be presented with a book such as that by Susan Harley.

Her subject is the little-known, but once important Langley Barony Mine, which lies to the north of Haydon Bridge in the South Tyne Valley. A near neighbour of the world famous Settlingstones witherite mine, this mine worked some of the northernmost deposits of the Northern Pennine Orefield. Apart from the description of the mine published by Dunham (1990) in the Geology of the Northern Pennine Orefield Vol.1 Tyne to Stainmore (HMSO) little or nothing has been written about the mine in recent years. In this book the essential details of the mine's history are outlined. A brief chapter on Thomas John Bewick, the local civil and mining engineer who developed the mine, and not to be confused with Thomas Bewick, the famous wood engraver of nearby Cherryburn, follows. The site is described, as it was in its heyday of working, and aspects of the leases held by Bewick are discussed. Other short chapters introduce the uninitiated reader to more general aspects of the Northern Pennine lead mining industry.

A brief section entitled 'Lead and its formation', together with an accompanying glossary 'Minerals explained', attempts to introduce the reader to the essential principles of ore formation. This is the least satisfactory part of the book. The main facts are in there somewhere but are presented in a rather jumbled fashion: a few moments with a geologist's advice would have improved this immensely.

Attractively prepared maps and diagrams, together with reproductions of early Ordnance Survey maps, enhance the text and there are several black and white photographs of mines today. A handful of historical photographs of lead mining scenes elsewhere in the orefield last century no doubt reveal the lack of contemporary photographs of Langley Barony.

Despite any misgivings about its geological content this is an attractively produced little book. It is generally well-written and is pitched at just the right level for the lay reader but with much to offer the more specialist student of mining history. It is recommended to anyone interested in local history or more widely to anyone interested in Northern Pennine mining.

Review by Brian Young, BGS Edinburgh

Attractively presented in a twice folded A3 laminated format. The walk begins in the Peace Gardens and guides the reader in an informative and easily understood manner to its conclusion at the Cutlers Hall. The clear text is complemented throughout by colour photographs and an extremely clear illustration of “The Paving Stones of Fargate”. An accompanying activity sheet is available. Reasonably priced at £1, this represents good value for money and is to be recommended.

Available from Sheffield City Museum, Sheffield Tourist Information Office and forthcoming YGS meetings. It is also available by post from Peter Kennett, 142 Knowle Lane, Sheffield S11 9SJ. Please add 40p for postage (£1.40).

Review by Yvonne James (Craven & Pendle Geological Society)

The package consists of three disks. Disk 1 governs access to the other two and contains the main menu. This takes command of the monitor screen and cannot be minimised to the task bar so it is not possible to work interactively with other Windows applications. Of the six sections on the main menu five can be accessed from Disk 1. They are: ‘Introduction to Earth Sciences’ - this presents a number of topics covering structure, tectonics, earthquakes, volcanoes, gravity, mapping, climate, oceanography, mineralogy, petrology, geological time, and environmental issues. Every topic has a number of sub-headings, each with an illustration, and there is a simple glossary.

‘Minerals and Resources’ - this offers a database of minerals. It has serious shortcomings as a database associated with British geology, as implied by the title of the package. Out of some two hundred minerals listed and displayed as photographs (some hardly recognisable) only four come from UK sites. Of the others there are a number of exotic minerals (e.g. gurelinite, kutnohorite, saleeite, etc) not listed in the majority of standard references. In addition, some minerals one would expect to find (e.g. cerussite, strontianite, witherite) are omitted. Also, the data on each mineral omits any mention of its chemical composition or affinities. There are also some oddities in the search facility. The term crystal structure includes monoclinical as well as monoclinic, and opaque! This section of the menu also has some UK mineral production statistics, plus carousels of resources and some video clips, but none of these are particularly relevant to, or appear to have been shot in, the UK.

‘Locational and Geological Maps’ - provides an opening screen map of the UK from which a number of geological map images may be accessed. There is a solid rock map offering generalised (called ‘broad’) information on metamorphic, igneous , and sedimentary rocks. More detailed outcrop maps coded by type or age are also available, as is a drift cover map. There is also a simple geological map of Britain called ‘Time’. For all these maps it is possible to overlay locations and main roads. There is also a facility to pinpoint and identify outcrops by age (or type in the case of igneous outcrops). There is a zoom facility which allows progressive zooming in up to the maximum resolution which corresponds to a scale of about 1: 625 000, but zooming out takes the user back to the UK base map. There is a useful gazetteer (with over six hundred entries) allowing instant zoom to any place name in it. The names of locations in a good many instances have been carelessly overlaid and can obscure one another, rendering them unreadable. Choice of locations is generally good for navigating around but there are some surprises. Maugersbury gets a mention but Flamborough doesn’t. There is an excellent database of photographs of geologically interesting locations around Britain (which does include Flamborough or, at least, Flamborough Head!), These interactive maps appear to be versions of the BGS Ten Mile Maps. In this section of the package the Deposits menu has some oddities in it. A list of some twenty different types of mineral extraction sites can be selected to pinpoint on the map their locations but they provide little useful information, and in some cases what is there is misleading. For example, an unidentified site sitting on the map midway between Middlesborough and Whitby (?Boulby) is identified as a kaolin mine! Earthquakes between 1970 and 1996 can be pinpointed. Seismic lines can also be displayed but any attempt to identify them covers the map in an unreadable mess of code numbers. A Functions menu lists facilities for overlaying the national grid, displaying a grid reference, and calculating an area an area or a linear distance. The grid reference displayed, which is described as being in “Kms”, takes the form of eastings and northings in an unfamiliar guise. An example will illustrate; the grid reference of York Minster is [SE 603 524], this application offers [E: 460.302 N: 452.392].

‘Geological Time and Plate Tectonics’ - the opening screen here is a useful standard table of geological time with the opportunity to click on any geological period or mountain-building episode to get further information, with hyperlinks to the location photographs mentioned earlier, and to relevant maps and a few fossil photographs (most of which can only be described as awful). It is also disappointing to see that the fossil chosen to illustrate the Cambrian is a trilobite (Elrathia kingsi) from North America! It is unfortunate that one of the few good fossil illustrations is of a eurypterid but described as the trilobite Calymene (sic) blumenbachii. The fossil column of the time chart is its most misleading aspect. Here a few (eleven) fossils are used to illustrate the whole of geological time, and two (Isastrea conybeari and Asteroceras obtusum) are displayed as existing from the late Carboniferous to the middle Jurassic.

‘Regional Geology Guide’ - this section divides Britain into nineteen regions based on the British Regional Geology handbooks of the BGS, plus ten offshore areas. Each of these has a map or photograph to illustrate it together with some brief notes from the introductions to the handbooks. This section also has access to the glossary (mentioned earlier) and a detailed geological map from which, unfortunately, there is no way back to the Regional section except via the main menu.

The final section of the main menu - ‘Geological and Geophysical Atlas’ invites the user to “Insert CD-ROM 2/3”. These two CD-ROMs contain facsimiles of posters of the following maps. Geothermal, hydrogeological, industrial mineral resources, a simple postcard-type geological map, Quaternary geology, Bouguer gravity anomaly, UK geology, sea-bed sediments, and aeromagnetic.

All sections of the disk’s contents may be printed as hard copy or saved to file, although the mechanism for the latter is slightly cumbersome.

Overall this set of CD-ROMs harbours much useful material, especially in the interactive geological maps. The sections on the Earth Sciences and Regional Geology should be of use for teaching up to A-level, and for amateurs looking to broaden their knowledge. The mineral and fossil databases are nowhere near representative of British geology, and quite misleading in places. All this is on CD-ROM 1. The other two contain simple graphic images of a variety of maps, some highly specialised, which may or may not be of interest. The package as a whole cannot be described as user-friendly although regular use will cut down on the time required to navigate its sometimes tortuous pathways.

Review by Archie Lee

In the first part of the book, Alan Myers details, with numerous extracts from his writings, the immense influence the Northern Pennine dales and their mines, and to a lesser extent those of the Lake District and North Yorkshire, had on Auden’s work. As early as the age of 7, on family holidays, the young Auden was developing what was to be a life long passion for lead mining and lead mining landscapes. A visit to Rookhope, in Weardale, at the age of 12 was to mark the beginning of an enduring association with these dales which was to manifest itself throughout his working life. Such was his interest that Auden seriously considered becoming a mining engineer, not perhaps an obvious alternative to his preferred career as author and poet.

It seems that Auden’s literary mind was much influenced by such works as Sopwith’s An Account of the Mining Districts of Alston Moor, Weardale and Teesdale (1833), Davies’ Machinery for Metalliferous Mines (1902), Postlethwaites’s Mines and Mining in the Lake District (1913), and Stanley Smith’s Lead and Zinc Ores of Northumberland and Alston Moor (1923), all of which were treasured items of his youthful library.

In the second part of the book Robert Forsythe further develops this theme as an introduction to an exhaustive listing of all North England place names used in Auden’s work, including the name and date of the work and the date of any known visits by him. Whereas this clearly reflects a great deal of work one might question its purpose, especially when the rather random observations added as footnotes are taken into account.

A brief suggested itinerary for a car journey from London to Edinburgh, concentrating on the Northern Pennines, written by Auden and originally published in American Vogue, May 15th 1954, completes the book.

A number of interesting black and white photographs, mainly of mining scenes, taken from a variety of historical archives, together with a handful of modern colour images add interest. The book, Number 7 in a series of books on Northern Pennine topics published by the Northern Pennine Heritage Trust, is a welcome departure from the rather dull and unoriginal format of their earlier efforts. Produced to accompany a travelling exhibition of Auden’s life and work, to be launched at Nenthead in the near future, this inexpensive little book offers an interesting insight into a hitherto little or unknown facet of the area’s heritage.

Reviewed by Brian Young, BGS (Edinburgh)

The first chapter poses the question surrounding the origins of the name Blue John, which I always thought came from the French Bleu Jeune. However this seems not to be the case and so this mystery remains still to be solved.

Chapter 2 has easily understood maps of the region around Castleton including the location of the cave systems, thus pointing the way for those who would pick over the spoil heaps in the area.

The chapters on the Blue John deposits, their geological environment and mineralogy were by no means too technical and can be understood by those with little geological knowledge. I was particularly interested in the causes of the colour and variations of the same. A little knowledge of chemistry is needed here.

There also seems to be some mystery surrounding when Blue John was actually discovered. It was once thought to have been first found by the Romans but this has now been discounted for a variety of reasons and any artifacts found in Italy which resemble Blue John are now thought to have come from rock mined in the Middle East. Recent evidence points to its discovery in the Late 17^th to early 18^th Century but as the writer points out mining records were concerned with lead not Blue John. It also appears that certain individuals may have been mining Blue John when they were only licensed to mine lead - small wonder they needed to keep its discovery a secret for as long as possible.

I found the chapter on mining interesting as it traces the history from the earliest wedging by hand to more sophisticated drilling which takes place nowadays - no heavy handed blasting here then.

Another chapter deals with mine ownership and leasing from the earliest lead mining times to present day and details how the caverns were upgraded over time to allow public access.

Towards the end of the book there is a list of Blue John collections taking you to north to Edinburgh and as far south as Plymouth, although much Blue John can be seen of course in Castleton and the Cavern shops.

This book will appeal to the serious collector of Blue John, to those with an interest in jewellery, and finally to those with a keen interest in Blue John’s history and origins, from its formation and mining to finished article. I have no hesitation in heartily recommending this book to members.

Derbyshire Blue John is just one of a number of publications from Landmark Publishing Ltd detailing aspects of mining in the Derbyshire / Staffordshire region.

Reviewed by Carol Scholes BSc.(CPGS)

The corals as animals together with the three groups - Rugose, Tabulate and Scerlactinian are initially described. This is followed by a look at their environments and of course coral reefs. I was particularly struck by the photographs of Actinocyathus floriformis and Siphonodendron junceum because they demonstrate key morphological features of fossil corals such as septa, dissepiments and columella.

The reverse of the publication positions corals through geological time and then proceeds to home-in on the coral zones in the British Lower Carboniferous.

The publication finishes with a corals: fact or fiction section. Here corals as clocks, the earliest corals and a ‘little bit of coral history’ round off a very interesting view of corals.

This contribution by Ian Wilkinson and Colin Scrutton to the existing range of Earthwise™ publications has already received a positive endorsement from members of CPGS at their recent Members Evening. I heartily recommend this to YGS members.

Reviewed by Paul Kabrna

Following an overview of previous research, the memoir begins with a discussion of the pre-Caledonian basement. The South Craven Fault is shown to be the principle structural feature that separates the Furness-Ingleborough-Norfolk anomaly (Caledonian metasediments) to the north east from the relatively undeformed sediments of the Midlands Microcraton. The metasediments, of probable arc origin, will be familiar to many people from the inliers around Ingleton and Austwick. Less well known are the Caledonian intrusions, present at subcrop, whose geochemistry is discussed in detail here, based on borehole samples.

The central theme of the Memoir discusses basin development in the Carboniferous within the framework of a classic McKenzie-style extensional basin that is the generally accepted model for the region (cf Fraser & Gawthorpe 1990). The active phase of faulting (syn-rift) is considered to essentially coincide with a phase of carbonate deposition (as seen in the Yorkshire Dales). This was fairly rapidly terminated within the Brigantian Stage of the Visean, and the subsequent sag phase (post-rift) coincides with the clastic phase of basin infill (i.e. the Millstone Grit and Coal Measures). This general model elegantly accounts for the evolution of many basins but, as Kirby and colleagues point out, each basin is unique and the Craven Basin in particular experienced several minor (Variscan?) inversion phases, particularly during the Brigantian. I also wonder whether all the dramatic thickness changes, seen in many Millstone Grit sandbodies in the Craven Basin, can be simply ascribed to the infill of residual topography remaining from a previous phase of active faulting.

In summary, this is a valuable book which draws together diverse information, much of it not seen before. It should be of interest to many YGS members.

Reviewed by Paul Wignall Ph.D.

My first reaction on receiving the review copy of Trevor Ford’s latest book was to leap to the bookcase for his Castleton Area Guide, written for the Geologists’ Association in 1996. Had it gone out of print? Surely this was mere duplication?

I am glad to say that the purpose of Rocks and Scenery of the Peak District is different – rather than being a field guide, it gives the background to the geology and geomorphology of the whole of the Peak District. The author must surely be the most experienced geologist to have worked in the area, both above and below ground, and his long-standing personal enthusiasm is very evident in the way he tells the story. And a good story it is, too, written for the intelligent layman, rather than the expert, or field leader wanting to know exactly where to take a party of students. The book does not pretend to be a field handbook, although the last chapter does describe “areas of special interest”. Even these are described in general terms, rather than being supplied with grid references, although the diagrams of the National Stone Centre would enable anyone to find their way around the geology there.

So, does the book do more than the introductory chapters in existing guides? I found it very readable, and actually ensconced myself in an armchair to read it properly, rather than sitting at the computer flicking the pages! Trevor Ford introduces the Peak District in the time-honoured way, i.e. Dark and White Peak, thus linking it to the 1:25000 OS maps with the same titles. He then breaks the story down into 17 short chapters with headings ranging from “Structures, folds and faults” to “Landslips”, and, of course, “Caves”. He writes with his usual flow, and avoids geological jargon, although some of the diagrams, mostly culled from existing publications, retain evidence of their origins, with, for example, reference to distal turbidites etc. I am not too sure about his assertion that the coarser gritstones were used in the Sheffield cutlery industry (the ones I have seen appear to be mostly made from the finer-grained Coal Measures sandstones). However, this was offset by the amusing reference to our prehistoric ancestors’ teeth being ground down by getting too much sand in their flour, as a result of using coarse grit for their quern stones!

The book is extremely well illustrated with many new pictures and the frequent use of colour enabling a clearer understanding of some photographs, which had appeared in smudgy black and white in earlier books about the area.

Trevor Ford has managed to describe most of the significant geological and geomorphological points within these covers. Any tourist buying the book and settling down to read it on a rainy day in a Peak District B & B would be well served by the book, and encouraged to go out and explore some of the areas described. So too will teachers who want to obtain an overview and are not too worried whether the limestones they will be taking their students to investigate are Brigantian or Chadian, or whatever other funny words came out since they graduated!

Reviewed by Peter Kennett

I will start this review with the final words of the book, finally there is time for tea! This is one of those guide books that rewards time spent in the field and time spent with a cup of tea indoors absorbing the contents. The layout is familiar, with a general overview of the area covered, from Redcar in the north to Ravenscar in the South, followed by 12 excursions with detailed itineraries and maps.

The overview section provides a useful background to the areas geology, the logistics of travelling in the area, some mining geology concepts, the stratigraphy of the rocks that will be visited and a brief section on the mineralogy and petrology of the Lower Jurassic sequence. The most useful section in the overview is the one that covers the exploitation of the various resources, including ironstone, alum, jet and coal. This includes a short history of each product and details of the methods of working. 

The excursions is well organised and includes many old favourites plus one or two new to myself. Each one is accompanied by useful notes, maps, photos and diagrams. It is here that one of my few reservations with the book comes to light, the quality of the production. Firstly many of the figures would have undoubtedly have benefited from a better paper and secondly I would have concerns about the robustness of the publication in the field. The latter was not tested by the reviewer, instead a copy was taken of the relevant pages, a method that will prolong the life of this publication.

Overall this is an excellent book and fills a gap in a market that already has a number of geology guides available. The information on industrial archaeology and the products extracted will provide a whole new twist to many peoples favourite trips. My final concern is that this book has no ISBN number and appears rather tricky to obtain a real shame, as this should be on any geologist’s bookshelf alongside that cup of tea.

Reviewed by Will Watts: Dinosaur Coast Project Officer, Scarborough, Yorkshire

The Quaternary of Northern England is 25th in the Geological Conservation Review (GCR) series which aims to provide a public record of the features of interest in sites that have been or are being considered for notification as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). At 745 pages and costing around £63 this is both a weighty and fairly expensive volume, but considerably cheaper than previous titles in the series due to direct publishing by the GCR. The next volume in the series is already in preparation covering the Midlands and East Anglia. Details of GCR publications are available via the GCR website at:

http://www.jncc.gov.uk/gcr/gcrweb/GCRseries%202/Quaternary2ed.htm

Chapters are ordered chronologically from the base of the Quaternary up to the Holocene with glossaries and a fossil index providing help with terminology. Each site is dealt with in a concise, well-structured and logical manner with an introduction including a brief literature review, description, interpretation and conclusion. Inclusion of just major references ensures the text is easy to read and suitable for a wide range of educational applications from “A” level upwards. Site descriptions and details included in the book may be useful to AS and A2 geography/geology students covering sedimentology, geomorphology or environmental change as part of their course. An abundance of large, easy to understand tables, maps and diagrams reinforce the quality of the site reviews though the some of the (black and white) photographs are not very sharply printed and need corresponding diagrams to explain their relevance.

A surprising and feature (possibly due to the selection of sites by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee) is the fact that around half of the book deals with the Holocene period. This disproportionately represents only 0.4% of the 2.4 million years of the Quaternary, suggesting that inclusion of sites representing pre-Holocene (in particular pre-Dimlington Stadial) environmental change is severely lacking. Some of the literature reviewed in the site introductions is very old, reflecting the lack of current work on Quaternary sites in Northern England. Although some sites allegedly have been included in the GCR series due to their importance regarding current debate within Quaternary Science, important inland sites in Yorkshire seem to have been omitted. Some discussion of sites (that may not yet be SSSIs) such as Brayton Barf, near Selby and Lanshaw Delves on Ilkley Moor would be welcome.

An example of one of the sites described is Great Almscliff Crag in Wharfedale, Yorkshire. The tor-like formation is regarded as significant for two reasons: one – the association between weathered and unweathered bedrock, and two – the location of the tor within the limits of the Late Devensian ice-sheet. The effects of the Late Devensian ice sheet on Great Almscliff Crag are ignored after the introduction and instead old arguments (Linton vs. Palmer & Radley from the middle of the last century) regarding tor formation are presented. Surprisingly no mention is made of the 300m long drift-tail to the east of the tor. In conclusion the author (Glasser) does admit to the site being important for landscape evolution and rock weathering. This lack of new research and uneven (temporal and spatial) distribution of sites chosen for the review present issues that need to be addressed by the GCR.

In conclusion this is a well-written, concise and useful starting point for anyone interested in the Quaternary of Northern England and would be a welcome addition to any geology or geography departmental library. Students at AS and undergraduate level would appreciate the clear descriptions and diagrams whilst interested amateurs would be encouraged to go and have a look for themselves.

Reviewed by Jon Barber, School of Geography, Leeds University, LEEDS LS2 9JT