Geology
Geology
Geology
Over many years I have been interested in excavations on various parts of the estate, whether for new houses or extensions to older properties. Looking at the material dug up and speaking to workmen, it became apparent that a sandy-type soil lies not far below the surface. In addition, stones unearthed appear to be smooth and rounded suggesting that the action of running water was at work in the past.
In A New History of Didsbury, written by E. France and T.F. Woodall and published in 1976, an explanation is given of the geological changes which followed the last ice age and which account for different parts of Didsbury having strikingly contrasting soils. They write:
“The ice, in its movement from the north, ground into a fine dust the rocks over which it passed. This dust, or boulder clay, was deposited over a great part of the British Isles. With the change in climate and the disappearance of the ice, the prehistoric [River] Mersey began to flow again. The river, swollen by heavy rains and melted ice and therefore deeper and wider than in more recent times, carried in its current sand and gravel, which it deposited on the river bed. A tilting of the land caused the Mersey to flow more quickly and to cut a deeper, but narrower bed, leaving part of the old river bed on each side as a terrace. This process, known as rejuvenation, has resulted in the formation of three distinct river terraces. The greater part of Didsbury lies on the older of the three terraces, known as the Third or High Terrace. The soil of the High Terrace varies in character from the light sandy soil of Barlow Moor to the fertile loam near St James’ Church. To the east is the boulder clay brought down by the glaciers.”