Northumbrian Earth

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Exploring the geology and landscape of Northumberland and the Scottish Borders; rocks, fossils, minerals, volcanoes, geodiversity, global warming and more.

The landscape in Northumberland and the Borders is rich and beautiful and is a setting which defines the people who live here, the communities and their history, as well as the fine buildings from vernacular dwellings blending with the landscape to castles which dominate it. It is the geology, the pre-history of the rocks forming the grain of this area, which gives the foundations for all of these stories. This 400 million years of pre-history contains many of its own epic stories with colliding continents, volcanoes and earthquakes, the first amphibians on land, Cuthbert’s beads, the advance and retreat of ice, global warming and global cooling and much more. Northumbrian Earth is dedicated to telling people these stories of geodiversity through activities and events with an emphasis on going out and meeting the rocks in the company of Dr Ian Kille, an expert and enthusiast on all things geodiverse.

27/10/2026

There are always three things. In this case three reasons; reasons why geology is so fascinating and engaging. The third of these reasons is the way that geology connects and underpins so many different subjects from building materials to biodiversity. One of these connections is the profound relationship between the historic environment and the geology that informs it.

Over the last few decades I have had the privilege of working on projects exploring this connection. From the medieval church on the Heugh on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, through the underpinnings of the Willington Wagonway and across the entire length of Hadrian's Wall this has been a fascinating journey.

Now with a special interest in the Northumberland National Park I thought it would be interesting to put up a series of posts exploring the way that geology has informed, and is a part of the fabulous historic environment to be found in and adjacent to the National Park.

Here is a selection of images to whet your appetite.

(Some of the images are in wide format so its worth opening up each image)

04/09/2026

Stumped!
Spent a happy few hours exploring the foreshore at Beadnell where Ranger Jane beach school had spotted some tree stumps in the Carboniferous sandstones.

What a fabulous collection of stumps of the giant lycopod, Lepidodendron! The coalified remains of the tube-shaped trunk of these trees can be clearly seen. All of them preserved in river-laid (fluvial) cross-bedded sandstones and all surpisingly upright.

Thanks for the tip-off Jane!!

04/09/2026

The view from the top of the Eildons is really rather good! Here looking down from Mid Hill onto North Hill with its iron age fort and the remains of Roman occupation.

I am looking forward to running a walk here on 17th September exploring the volcanic origins of these hills and the way that it has been inhabited over thousands of years.

11/08/2026

A fine communal coral that one of the Year 5s turned up at Spittal. Probably from the nearby Woodend Limestone. Found during part of the geowalk a few weeks back exploring rock strata as well as strand-lines and wave-cut platforms.

04/08/2026

...this looks like a good thing!

04/08/2026

The view back to the Cheviots! This was taken from the top of Goat Crag and pans round Rabbit Braes and Fordwood House to reveal a fabulous view across Millfield Plain to the Cheviots. You can clearly see the line of Humbleton Hill, Yeavering Bell and the Newton Tors (all formed of andesite lavas) with the Cheviot and Hedgehope (formed of granitic plutons) rising up behind.

I will be running a walk from Ford to explore Ford Moss and Goat Crag the afternoon of 25th August.

04/08/2026

The view from Hawsen Crags inside the Cheviots! Blustery video starting with a view across the Harthope valley to Langlee and Housey Crags, which may (or may not)! be roof pendants of metamorphosed andesite above the granitic plutons. The plutons form the central part of the Cheviot massif.

The video pans up the Hawsen Burn, which marks the line of a fault which more or less forms the boundary between the central granite plutons and the surrounding andesitic lavas. The burn curves around Blackseat Hill and up towards the flanks of Scald Hill and the Cheviot itself.

03/08/2026

Thank you to everyone who came out on the North Eastern Geological Society walk into the Harthope Valley on Sunday. Perfect weather to try and get to grips with the complex and enigmatic geology of the Cheviot Volcano. An excellent group of interested and knowledgeable people leading to some great discussions teasing out what may or may not have happened to form the volcanic edifice. As ever I learned a lot, and glassy andesite is now firmly in my mind for future exploration of the volcano.

01/08/2026

Looking forward to tomorrow's exploration of the Cheviot Volcano in the Harthope Valley with the NE Geological Society. Part of the walk will explore the Hawsen Burn which rises out of Harthope Valley and climbs towards the Cheviot. It marks a fault line close to the boundary between the central granitic intrusions and the surrounding lava flows. A beautiful walk with some complex geology!

27/07/2026

A big thank you to everyone that came out on last week's walk from Bamburgh. Another lovely group!
The pockets of ropey-lava framed by mega-vesicles were the iconic feature of this walk, telling part of the unique story of this section of the Whin Sill.
Abstract art of the natural world provided a pleasant distraction, with the rich colours and patterns of the contact metamorphism of shales next to the sill. Some modern day periwinkle traces beautifully patterned as they grazed on algae rich rock and ploughed through lightly covered in sand.

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