Sunday 1 October (Field meeting): The South Malverns, led by John Payne. Joint field visit with the Open University Geological Society, West Midlands branch. Start at 10.00. Meet at Hollybush car park (free) on the north side of the Tewkesbury to Ledbury road at the crest of the Hollybush Pass over the Malvern Hills. Grid Reference: SO 759 369.
After a 100m climb we visit a recently constructed earth house to see a thrust fault (an element of the East Malvern fault system). On Raggedstone Hill the scenery, structure and geology will be described, and we will see the first of several volcanic dykes. On the south ridge of the hill is an exposure of the Cambrian/Precambrian unconformity, and lower on the hill is a quarry showing some of the variety of Malvern’s metamorphic rocks. We will visit a small waterfall on a Triassic conglomerate, and a small quarry at Coal Hill showing interleaved Ordovician lava and Ordovician shales. On Chase End Hill, the most southerly of the Malverns, is an exposure of Malvern gneiss. We will pass an exposure of baked Cambrian shale, and a quarry in andesitic lava with a nearby much decorated ancient oak. The final stop will be at the recently cleared roadside exposure at Hollybush, showing two distinct intrusions into the Cambrian Hollybush Sandstone. Tour lasts approx 6.5 hours, length: 7km, finish around 4.30. Some fairly steep sections. No facilities anywhere on this walk. Bring a packed lunch. Wear walking boots and clothing appropriate to the weather.