The
Malvern Hills are some of the oldest and hardest rocks in the
country. Find out more of the origins of the hills.
See
our picture gallery of Gullet
Quarry and the rock strata around it.
To
understand why the Malvern Hills stand up so proud of the surrounding
countryside you have to go far back into pre-history.
The surface of the earth was very different, and the land that
is now Great Britain was somewhere south of the equator.
The ancient core of the Malvern Hills is more than 600 million
years old, and was thrust through the sedimentary rocks that
lay above them in a huge earth movement known to geologists
as the Cheltenham Drive.
Rock
strata at Gullet quarry
This
core of rock is very very hard and the rocks on either side
are much softer.
This leads to a phenomenon called 'differential erosion', where
the softer rocks are worn away much quicker than the harder
ones, forming the distinctive ridge of the Malverns.
The best place to see the various rock strata is Gullet Quarry,
just off Castlemorton Common at the southern end of the hills.
(see map)
Here the quarrying work has exposed the rock strata, showing
how the sedimentary rocks, which were laid down horizontally
on the sea bed, were pushed up nearly vertically by the Cheltenham
Drive.
Geologist from all over the world come to the quarry to look
at these unusual rock strata, but if you're planning to take
a look yourself be warned - it's quite a stiff climb!
