Field Trips
We’re delighted to offer two field trips for BSRG-TSG 2026. See below for more details!
Cheshire Basin
The Classic Triassic Sherwood Sandstone Group, Cheshire Basin: Red beds and the energy transition
Monday 14th December | 09:00-18:00 | £40
Runcorn, Frodsham & Pex Hill, Cheshire
Led by Kevin Taylor & Jonathan Redfern
Red beds, real-world reservoirs, and the energy transition — all in one field day. This one-day field trip explores classic Triassic Sherwood Sandstone outcrops at Runcorn Hill, Frodsham and Pex Hill, linking fluvial and aeolian sandstone architecture to carbon storage, geothermal energy, groundwater resources, offshore analogues and the UKGEOS Cheshire borehole site.
The aim of this day trip is to observe excellent exposures of the Triassic Helsby Sandstone Formation and Chester Formation (both within the Sherwood Sandstone Group). We will visit three locations: Runcorn Hill disused quarry, the edges above Frodsham, and Pex Hill disused quarry near Widnes.
The Sherwood Sandstone Group has applications for Carbon Capture and Storage, deep geothermal heat and shallow aquifer heat storage, as well as being an important regional freshwater aquifer. This trip will allow us to look at fluvial and aeolian strata and discuss the importance of the architecture/ heterogeneity for these energy transition applications. At Runcorn and Frodsham (Helsby Formation) comparisons will be made to the age-equivalent offshore strata in the East Irish Ses Basin. Pex Hill (Chester Formation) is an excellent analogue for the sub-surface UKGEOS Cheshire borehole site nearby and subsurface data from this site will be shown to enrich the discussions in the field.
Transport will be via coach departing from Oxford Road, departing at 9am, and returning by 6pm Attendees will be able to purchase lunch in the town of Frodsham (a number of cafes and shops). All three outcrops benefit from being near tree cover, allowing some relief in the case of rain. Participants should bring warm clothing, waterproofs and wear walking boots. We will supply hard hats and safety jackets.
Access to each site involves a moderate walk along a level or slightly inclined path. Each location will be involve about a 1 km walk in total.
To book your place, click register at the top of the page and select the field trip as an optional extra at checkout.
peak district
Sediments, faults and minerals of the Peak District: A one day journey through reefs, caves and turbidites
Thursday 17th December | 09:00 – 17:00 | £40
Castleton, Peak District
Led by Cathy Hollis & Ian Kane
Sediments, faults and minerals of the Peak District. The Derbyshire Platform is the westernmost limit of the East-Midlands Platform, which formed in the southern Pennine Basin during the Mississippian. It extends eastwards into the North Sea towards The Netherlands and Belgium. Its northernmost termination near Castleton is onlapped by Pennsylvanian mudrocks and turbiditic sandstones, deposited in the Edale Basin, that are exceptionally well preserved at Mam Tor. Consequently, this is a classic UK field locality, that has been used over many years to determine the relationship between syn- and post-rift tectonics, sedimentary depositional environments, stratal architecture and fluid flux. It is also a critical locality to understand the relationship between fluid flux from the siliciclastic sediments in the Edale Basin onto the Derbyshire Platform and corresponding reactions, including mineralization.
The aim of this fieldtrip is to examine this range of sedimentological, structural, diagenetic and mineralogical features, including:
– The platform margin facies and slope to basin transition of the Mississippian limestone
– Cave geomorphology and mineralization within platform margin facies in Treak Cliff Cavern (optional)
– Pennsylvanian deep-water sediments that onlapped the Derbyshire Platform and infilled the Edale Basin
– Post-depositional faulting and fracturing related to the Variscan Orogeny
– There will also be the opportunity to examine the Mam Tor landslip.
The fieldtrip will depart by bus from Manchester in order to arrive in Castleton by about 10am. Please bring warm clothes, waterproofs and walking boots as well as lunch/snacks and water. The trip will end in Castleton with a return to Manchester for 5pm.
To book your place, click register at the top of the page and select the field trip as an optional extra at checkout.
Sponsors
We are grateful to our sponsors for their support in delivering this conference.
