The excursion will focus on the Middle Jurassic Ravenscar Group, a predominantly fluvio-deltaic sequence with marine intercalations including the base of the Scarborough Formation.

Meet at 09.30 am at the end of the Salt Pans road 1.5 km ENE of Cloughton and 0.2 km north of Cloughton Wyke (TA 020952). If there is a large turnout we may park cars near The Cober Hill Guest House and shuttle participants to Salt Pans. Toilets are only available in the pubs mentioned. Hard hats are required for key exposures, especially at Cloughton Wyke. Stout walking boots with ankle protection are better than wellington boots or any other footwear on the foreshores. The path down to Hayburn Wyke is slippery in wet weather but walking distances are low (total 5-6 kilometres in the day).

At Salt Pans we will inspect the Lebberston Member (including the marine “Millepore Bed”), the Gristhorpe Member of the Cloughton Formation, and the lower part of the Scarborough Formation. The sandstones are similar to sequences seen in the Brent Group of the Brent oil field and we will examine and calculate the potential oil bearing volume of such sequences. We will discuss the nature and the cause of the sharp contacts between the different sequences in the vertical succession in what is a dramatic and classic set of exposures.

For lunch, there is a choice of the Hayburn Wyke Inn or a packed lunch.

Reconvene at 2:00pm at the Hayburn Wyke Inn pub car park (TA 010971).

At Hayburn Wyke the Saltwick Formation consists of channel-fill sandstones and floodplain shales and sandstones, with “fossil” soils and plant beds. Logistics limit the extent of the field work here but we will point out a number of exposures that can be accessed from Hayburn that members can visit themselves at a later date.

Low tide is at 12:16 pm (Scarborough) and high tides at 05:48 am and 18:12 pm. The excursion will finish at approximately 4:00 pm and members can reconvene at the Hayburn Wyke Inn for optional further discussion over liquid refreshment.