Wye Valley Voyage in Deeptime

Explore the rocks of a section of the Wye Valley.
The Voyage starts with caves and valleys created by melting ice at the end of the last glaciation. It continues ‘under the sea’ with limestones formed in warm tropical seas, that had gradually invaded the land., the Voyage ends on sandstones formed by great river systems around 400 million years ago.

Distance 4.8km (3 miles), along paths through woodland. Some uphill walking, but never steep.

The colour overlay on the map , depicts the different rocks of the Wye Valley – Little Doward  area. Touching these different colours on the map running in the Voyager app, will display the name of the rock, provide images of how the environment may have looked when that rock was forming, the life forms that existed and environmental audio. As much of that content as possible is replicated in the following.

Links to Task Sites for the Wye Valley Voyage

Setting Out
1 King Arthurs Cave
2 Limestone pavement
3 Rock cutting and cliff
4 Limestone cliff
5 Bedded limestone
6 Muddy path
7 Things are changing
8 Rocks full of pebbles
9 Voyages oldest rock

Carboniferous Earth – arrangement of land and sea around the time limestone rocks of the Voyage formed.
Devonian Earth – arrangement of land and sea around the time the terrestrial rocks of the Voyage formed.

The following links are to environmental reconstructions, life forms, atmospheric composition, day length, top predators, climate and other facts relating to the  times when the various rock units of the Wren’s Nest were forming. Starting with the youngest rocks.
You do not cross all these rocks on the Voyage but they are present in the area of the map.

Cromhall Sandstone Formation (old name Drybrook Sandstone)
Around 334 million years old
Environment – north view  |  Environment – south view  |  Lifeforms  | Other Information

Llanelly Formation (old name Whitehead Limestone)
Around 340 million years old
Environment – north view | From above | Environment – south view | Weather forecast | Lifeforms | Information

Gully Oolite Formation  (old name Crease Limestone)
Around 348 million years old
Environment – north view | From above | Environment – south view | Weather forecast  |  Lifeforms | Information

Black Rock Limestone (old name Lower Dolomite)
Around 350 million years old
Environment – north view | From above | Weather forecast | Lifeforms | Other information

Avon Group (old name Lower Limestone Shales)
Around 359 million years old
Environment – north view |  From above | Environment – south view  | Lifeforms | Other information

Tintern Sandstone Group
Around 360 million years old
Environment – north view | Environment – south view | Lifeforms | Other information

Quartz Conglomerate (old Forest name ‘Pudding Stone’, official new name Huntsham Hill Conglomerate)
Around 365 million years ago
Environment – north view |  From above  | Environment – east view | Lifeforms | Information

Brownstones
Around 400 million years old
Environment – north view | From above | Weather forecast  |  Lifeforms |  Other information