Geology

The North York Moors National Park contains some of the finest geology in the world. Yet many visitors to the Park do not realise what treasures lie beneath their feet, or how these rocks have helped form the stunning landscapes they come to admire. With just a small amount of knowledge everybody can enhance their understanding and enjoyment of our Jurassic National Park.

The varied landscapes of the National Park owe much of their appearance to the underlying geology, the results of over 200 million years of Earth history. This history has seen North Yorkshire flooded by oceans, covered in huge river deltas and most recently invaded by great ice sheets. It is these events and the evidence they have left behind that has brought geologists to the area since the science began.

Many famous geologists have come to study the geology of the area, including William Smith, 'the father of English geology'. Today geologists travel from all over the world to study these rocks. From university students to employees of multinational oil companies the area provides a giant laboratory for hundreds of people every year.

Many locations bear the scars of human exploitation of the many resources contained within the rocks of the North York Moors. The mining and quarrying of ironstone, alum, coal, building stone and jet have all left telltale signs. The area is particularly famous for its fossil remains, ammonites, sea dragons and of course dinosaur footprints all have a story to tell from times when North Yorkshire looked very different.