On the 12th of September the Forum members gathered for the first meeting of the new season.  The Forum meets at the Wetherby Church Centre every Wednesday morning from September to March (with a short break in December) and new members are always made welcome.  

The guest speaker for the first meeting was Roger Osborne from Pickering whose chosen subject was The Geology of the North Yorks Moors. This area is regarded by geologists as being of special significance due to the surface being formed of three layers of Jurassic rock.  

Over the last 100 million years the rocks have been tilted by the action of movement of the earth’s crust exposing the ends of these layers. This has resulted in such features as Sutton Bank and The Hole of Horcum.

Roger described why a large aquifer has developed under the Vale of Pickering which provides the bulk of the drinking water for the surrounding area and  explains why the proposal to frack in the area is so controversial.

Glacial erosion by various Ice Ages has also had the effect of changing the direction of the local rivers and deepening their valleys.

After a lively question and answer session the Forum’s Deputy Chairman Duncan Verity proposed a vote of thanks to Roger Osborne for a most interesting presentation.