Wrekin Introduction

WREKIN AND THE ERCALL

The Wrekin is home to amongst the oldest rocks in the county of Shropshire (677 million years old). The Wrekin itself, despite having a cone-like appearance, is not actually a volcano, but is made up of thick layers of lava erupted from volcanoes. Geologists think that Shropshire must have been very much like Japan around this time: a volcanic island, sitting in an ocean, near a larger continent.

The Ercall is a hidden gem of Earth history. Standing at the bottom of the quarries you can see an obvious change in the rock, from a bright pink mass to pale grey layers. This change is internationally famous amongst geologists as it marks the change between the Precambrian, where there was very little life, and the Cambrian, where life suddenly exploded in lots of different varieties.

Fancy a trip to the beach? No need to leave the county, just go to the Ercall! You can find rock-hard ripples in the pale grey sandstone, just the same as those you see on the beach today after the tide has gone out, except here the tide went out 544 million years ago.

BACK TO SHROPSHIRE GEOLOGY INTRO

	WREKIN AND THE ERCALL
The Wrekin is home to amongst the oldest rocks in the county of Shropshire (677 million years old). The Wrekin itself, despite having a cone-like appearance, is not actually a volcano, but is made up of thick layers of lava erupted from volcanoes. Geologists think that Shropshire must have been very much like Japan around this time: a volcanic island, sitting in an ocean, near a larger continent.		The Ercall is a hidden gem of Earth history. Standing at the bottom of the quarries you can see an obvious change in the rock, from a bright pink mass to pale grey layers. This change is internationally famous amongst geologists as it marks the change between the Precambrian, where there was very little life, and the Cambrian, where life suddenly exploded in lots of different varieties.