Millstone Grit
Stephen Lewis
A view of the massive Gritstone blocks exposed on the edge of the escarpment.
Millstone Grit
The rock that makes Brimham.
Stephen Lewis
A view of the massive Gritstone blocks exposed on the edge of the escarpment.
Stephen Lewis
At Lovers Leap, massive blocks of Millstone Grit above the cliffs form spectacular features.
Lover’s Leap
Cliffs
The bedrock underlying the site is a gritty type of sandstone called Millstone Grit. A mixture of quartz and feldspar, rocks of this type were used to make the millstones for grinding wheat from which it gets its name.
The sharp quartz crystals are the cutting surfaces that break up the grains and grind the seeds into flour.
Stephen Lewis
The Druid’s Writting Desk is an excellent example of a weathered tor.
The Druid’s Writing Desk
Rock Pillars
Pillars of rock called tors left by the ravages of the last ice age have been eroded by the effcts of ice and wind into remarkable shapes.
Click here to learn more about the phyisics behind the creation of these rock shapes.
Stephen Lewis
One of a number of arches and holes carved out of the rock by the effects of weathering.
Rock arch
Rock Arches
Where outcrops have been left exposed to the weather, wind erosion has created a series of holes, some many feet long, and various arches apparently carved into the rock.
Click here to learn more about the phyisics behind the creation of these features.
Stephen Lewis
Perhaps Brimham’s most iconic rock.
The Idol Rock
Wind Erosion
Perhaps the most extreme example of the effects of wind erosion is the remarkable Idol Rock, a huge block apparently balancing on a tiny pedestal, though in fact it is one single block.
Click here to expose more facts about the Idol Rock.
Stephen Lewis
A rock outcrop close to the Mushroom Rock.
The Boat Rock
Bedding Planes
Looking like waves frozen in time, bedding planes are visible in many of Brimham’s rocks, such as these that form the layers of the Boat Rock.
Click here to learn more facts about how river currents created these bedding planes.