Mapping Project

The Millennium Mapping Project 2000 - 2005

The geology of the area to the south of Kendal was originally surveyed by the Geological Survey of England and Wales in the late 1860's. Because it remained as one of the few areas not to have been remapped a member Dr Peter Thomas who had experience of producing BGS 'Standard' sheets suggested that members of the Westmorland Geological Society might attempt to map one of the 1:10000 sheets forming the Geological Sheet 49 (Kirkby Lonsdale) as a Millennium project.

Once agreed and with approval from the then President Dr Stuart Monro the Society's 'Millennium Mapping Project' took off in the Spring of 2000 with a series of indoor and outdoor workshops which enabled experienced members of the society to improve their techniques of field mapping. It was decided to map the area of OS sheet SD48SW which included Lindale Newton Fell the Winster valley Yewbarrow and Beck Head. The geology of this area was known to comprise folded Silurian turbidites and Carboniferous Limestone Formations overlain by a variety of glacial and post-glacial deposits.

Bannisdale Fm. a banded siltstone at Newton Fell	Learning how to measure dip and strike

Having informed BGS of our proposals they provided base maps on which the mapping teams could work. Teams of 2 to 4 people covered areas of about 3 sq.km each at an enlarged scale of 1:5000 mapping lithologies boundaries orientation of bedding cleavage and lineations structures and other geological features including drift deposits. During the summer of 2000 monthly workshops sessions were held at Gilpin Bridge Hotel when Drs Thomas and Rowley were able to monitor progress and assist with problems by accompanying teams who needed help. Unfortunately progress was halted in 2001 by the 'Foot and Mouth' outbreak but resumed in 2002 with renewed vigour so that the basic mapping was completed by the end of the summer.

  A small group of the most enthusiastic mappers (Mike and Gill Dewey Mike Balderstone Colin Rowley and Peter Thomas) began the long process of solving problems and refining details. This continued through the winter into 2003 with the 'Core Group' meeting almost every week! During this time Mike Balderstone became an expert at cutting slabs of rock and producing thin sections to help the group make stratigraphical decisions. BGS personnel and other experts were invited to check the quality of the work done by the Core Group and this was followed by a visit to BGS in March 2003 to study borehole records old field maps and aerial photographs.

Peter Thomas drafted the final 'Standard' during the summer of 2003 and wrote the accompanying Research Report which was submitted in March 2004. The map has since been digitised on Coreldraw by Mike Dewey and Peter Thomas. The British Geological survey have accepted the work digitised the map and published it in full colour (2006). They have acknowledged the part played by WGS in completing this 1:10000 sheet which will form part of the 1:50000 sheet 49 in the forthcoming publication - a first for a British Amateur Geological Society!

A free exhibition of the Mapping Project was hosted by the Society at the Gilpin Bridge Hotel in May 2007when local people were given the opportunity to see the results and how they were achieved. Mike McCormac of BGS also attended with some examples of the latest remote imaging techniques used on Whitbarrow.

                                                                                (Photo PRT)
The final phase of the project: The map is displayed for the public at a local hotel.