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Cleveland Ironstone Formation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
ClevelandIronstoneFormation
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TheClevelandIronstoneFormationisa sequenceofmarineironstoneseamsinterbedded withshaleandsiltstoneunitswhichcollectively formapartoftheLowerJurassicSystemof rocksunderlyingClevelandandNorth Yorkshire.Exploitationoftheironstoneseams becameamajordrivingforcebehindthe industrialisationoftheTeessidedistrictduring themidtolate1800s.[1] Basedonthestratigraphyoftheformation,the ClevelandIronstonewasfoundtobelongwithin theUpperPliensbachian(Domerian)universal stage.Ironstoneseamsandaccompanyingshales maybehighlyfossiliferouswithremainsso abundantinpartsastoformwelldeveloped shellbeds.Analysisrevealsawealthofshallow watermarinespecies,someinlifeposition,along withtracefossilsincludingRhizocorallium burrowswellexposedatOldNab,eastof Staithes.
ImageofStaithesshowingpartofthevillage(foreground), theeastsideharbourwall(middleleft)andtheheadlandof PennyNab(centerbackground).ThebaseoftheCleveland Ironstonecommencesatthefootofthecliff.
Contents
1Economichistory 2Stratigraphy 3Lithology 4References
Economichistory
Economically,theClevelandIronstoneprovedtobeacrucialcatalystwiththepowertoreinvigoratethe flaggingcommercialfortunesoftheRiverTeesandsurroundingdistrict.Theoccurrenceofironstonein Clevelandhasbeenknownaboutformanycenturieswithevidenceofsmallscaleworkingpredatingthe occupationofRomanBritain.[citationneeded]Despitemuchearlyattention,thetrueextentoftheCleveland orefieldremainedamysteryuntilthelate1840s,whenironmasterJohnVaughan(17991868)andmining
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engineerJohnMarley(18231891),bothoftheBolckowVaughancompany,tracedseamsofironstonealong thecoastbetweenStaithesandtheirnortherlyoutcropontheescarpmentoftheEstonHillsoverlookingthe RiverTees.[2] VaughanandMarley'sevidenceofalargescalebodyofworkableironoreincloseproximitytobothcoaland limestonefromCountyDurham,togetherwiththedistrict'sdevelopingcommunicationsnetworkbyrailand sea,provedaheadyconcoction.Combinewiththisaninsatiableappetiteformanufacturedgoodsdrivenby theIndustrialRevolutionandacohortofshrewdopportunistbusinessspeculators,anditmaycomeasno surprisethatMiddlesbroughdevelopedrapidly,ledbyBolckowVaughan,whichminedandrefinediron,and manufacturedgoodsfromit.Thetowngrewfromamereideainthelate1820s,tobecomethecommercial centreofoneoftheworld'sgreatestironandsteelproducingregionsinlittleovertwogenerations.By1881, theyearofMiddlesbrough'sGoldenJubilee,outputofironstonedrawnfromtheClevelandorefieldexceeded 6,000,000tons(6,096,360tonnes).[2]
Stratigraphy
FormerlyclassifiedaspartoftheMiddleLias,thesestratawere depositedoveraperiodof~2millionyears,assoftsedimentonthe floorofashallowarmoftheancientTethysOcean,betweenc.185 millionand183millionyearsbeforepresent.[3]Theformationlies conformablyontheprolificallyfossiliferousshallowmarine sandstone,siltstoneandmudrockoftheStaithesFormation.Thereare sixnamedironstoneseamswhichare,inorderofdeposition,the Osmotherly,Avicula,[4]Raisdale,Twofoot,PectenandMainSeams. Atitstypelocality,onthecoastaroundStaithes,NorthYorkshire,the formationattainsathicknessof25.3metres[5]andcomprisesfive 'coarseningupward'cyclesofmarineshaleandsiltstoneeachcapped byaseamofironstoneofvaryingthickness,compositionandiron content.Theshalesandsiltstonesaregreyincolour,andexhibit occasionalbandsofcalcareousorsideriticnodules,shellbedsand crossbedding.Theuppermostreachesofsomeoftheshaleunitsmay belaminatedandhavebeendubbedtempestites.[6]Immediately beneaththeRaisdaleSeamatStaithescanbeseenlaminatedbeds withbasalguttersupto0.5metreswideand5metreslongwhich werescouredoutduringhighenergystormevents.Theguttershave beensubsequentlyinfilledwithfinesandandsiltwhichshowssigns ofpyritisation.Thesefeaturestendtobeorientedinaneastwest directionandarefairlypersistentlaterally,occurringalmost19 kilometrestothesoutheastatHawskerBottoms.[6]
SeamsoftheClevelandIronstone formationwellexposedonthecoast atJetWyke.The Aviculaseamforms therockplatform.Aboveitcomethe Raisdale,TwoFoot, Pecten(5thin bands)andMainseams
DefinitivezonalworkhasbeencarriedoutonthecoastbyHowarth(1953),[5]Howard(1985)[7]and extendedinlandbyChowns(1968).[citationneeded]Theireffortsrevealthatthesestrataspantwofaunalzones promptingsubdivisionintocorrespondinginformalunits.[8]Thelowest19metresarepredominantlyshaley[9] andincludetheOsmotherly,Avicula,RaisdaleandTwofootSeams,thebestdevelopedbeingtheAvicula
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Seamattainingc.0.5metreatJetWyke.TheyresidewithintheupperpartoftheAmaltheusmargaritatus faunalzone[9]andarecollectivelyreferredtoasthePennyNabMember,afteraheadlandc.150metreseast ofStaithesHarbour. AnunconformitymarkstransitiontotheoverlyingPleurocerasspinatum[9]zonewhichcoversthemore ferruginousupper6metresoftheformation.ItisreferredtoastheKettlenessMember,andincludesthe PectenandMainSeams,thelatterc.1.8metresthickandsplitintoa0.7metreTopBlockand0.8metre BottomBlockby0.3metreofmedialshale[10]atOldNab. Themostimportantseams,fromaneconomicperspective,aretheMainandPectenSeamswhichattaintheir greatestdevelopmentalongthenorthernedgeoftheorefield,nearEston.[3]TheretheMainSeam,3.66 metresthick,restsdirectlyonthePectenSeam(1.23metres)whichincludesanimpressiveshellbed.The seamsarerelativelypersistedinaneastwestdirection,butshalepartingsinterveneandthickentothesouthat theexpenseoftheironstone.InEastClevelandthestratapassthroughastructuralsynclineknownasthe SkeltonSynclinewheretheMainSeamdescendstoaround125metresbelowsealevelaroundNorthSkelton. ThewholeformationthinsandbecomeslessferruginoustothesouthastheMainSeam,itselfmuch diminished,overstepseachoftheunderlyingseamsonebyone.[3]Strataofthisagearecompletelyabsentat thesoutherlylimitoftheYorkshireBasinaroundMarketWeighton.
Lithology
OnaveragetheClevelandIronstoneFormationcomprisesaround70%shaleand30%ironstone[9]thoughthe latteroccursintheformofthesixnamedseamsofvariablethickness.Theironstoneisclassedasbeinglow gradewithanironcontentofupto33%,andisdeemedeconomicallyviableonlyabove~27%. Theprimaryironbearingmineralsaretheironcarbonatesiderite (FeCO3)andberthierine(formerlyknowaschamosite,(Fe22+ Al(Si,Al)O5(OH)4).[11]Ancillarycomponentsincludecalcite(as MgCO3andMnCO3),pyrite(FeS2),collophanite(Ca3P2O8H2O), silica(Si),claymineralsandderivativessuchasoctahedrite(brookite) (TiO2),anddickite(Al2Si2O5(OH)4).Theseamsareoftenoolitic, especiallyinthenorthofthedistrict,butvaryinconstitutionacross theorefield.Theooids(onaverage)comprise~33%siderite,~33% berthierine,andasimilarproportionofancillarymineralsand demonstratedeformationwhilstthesedimentwasstillplastic.[9]
Theoriginsoftheironstoneseamshavebeenthesubjectofmuch argumentandcounterargumentsincetheirlargescaleexploitation commencedinthemid1800s.Themostwidelyacceptedsolution emergedinthe1920sfollowinganalysisbyHallimond(1925).[12]It wasdiscoveredthatoverallironcontentinboththeshaleandtheseamswasroughlyequal.Thissuggeststhat theconcentrationofdissolvedironwithinthesurroundingseawaterremainedroughlythesameduring depositionofbothshaleandironstone.Thephysicaldifferencesbetweenthetwoarisesastheresultof variationsinsedimentinflux.Rapidratesofsedimentinputcauseddepositionoftheshales,whereasa
CloseupofasampleofCleveland ironstonefromKiltonMine demonstratingtherock'soolitic texture.
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diminishedrateofinputenabledthesameamountofirontobeconcentratedwithinalowersedimentload therebyproducingtheironstoneseams.Evidenceofbivalvesinlifeposition,Rhizocoralliumtracefossils, crossbedding,episodesofnondepositionand(notleast)theoolitictextureallindicatethattheironstones werelaiddowninshallowwater. Fossilsareubiquitous,especiallywithintheironstoneseams,totheextentthattheAviculaandPectenseams arenamedaftertheirmostabundantfaunalinclusions.
References
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. ^Goldring,Denis(2001), AlongtheScar,PeterTuffs,p.30 ^ a bNorth,G.A.(1974), Teesside'sEconomicHeritage,ClevelandCountyCouncil ^ a b cGoldring,Denis(2006), AlongtheEsk,PeterTuffs,p.24 ^Thebivalve Aviculahassincebeenreclassifiedasthegenus Oxytoma. ^ a bHowarth,M.K.(1953), TheDomerianoftheYorkshireCoast (http://pygs.lyellcollection.org/content/30/2/147.full.pdf+html) 30,ProceedingsoftheYorkshireGeological Society,pp.147175,retrievedMarch9,2013 ^ a bRawson&Wright,P.F&J.K.(1992), TheYorkshireCoast (http://www.geologistsassociation.org.uk/GAGuide_34_Yorkshire.html),THEGEOLOGIST'SASSOCIATION, p.2526 ^Howard,A.S.(1985), LithostratigraphyoftheStaithesSandstoneandClevelandIronstoneFormations(Lower Jurassic)ofNortheastYorkshire(http://pygs.lyellcollection.org/content/45/4/261.full.pdf+html) 45,Proceedings oftheYorkshireGeologicalSociety,pp.261275,retrievedMarch9,2013 ^Goldring,Denis(2006), AlongtheEsk,PeterTuffs,p.26 ^ a b c d eHemingway,J.E.(1974),"Chapter7Jurassic" (http://books.google.com/books/about/The_Geology_and_mineral_resources_of_Yor.html?id=kbgqAQAAIAAJ), TheGeologyandMineralResourcesofYorkshire,YorkshireGeologicalSociety,pp.161223 ^Goldring,Denis(2001), AlongtheScar,PeterTuffs,p.70 ^"Berthierine"(http://www.sainthilaire.ca/en/berthier.htm). ^Hallimond,A.F.(1925), IronOres:BeddedOresofEngland&Wales,PetrographyandChemistry (http://journals.cambridge.org/download.php? file=%2FGEO%2FGEO62_10%2FS0016756800106119a.pdf&code=6fa45e70c9dc424600828a47df480146) 29, MemoirsoftheGeologicalSurveyofGreatBritain(SpecialreportsonthemineralresourcesofGreatBritain) H.M.S.O.,retrievedMarch9,2013
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