James Hutton, the “Father of Modern Geology”, originated the theory of uniformitarianism – a fundamental principle of geology – that explains the features of the Earth crust by means of natural processes over geological time. This was the belief that geological forces at work in the present day – barely noticeable to the human eye, yet immense in their impact – are the same as those that operated in the past.

The geology group meets on the last Wednesday of the month usually from March through to September to go on visits planned by the members the previous autumn. Visits usually begin at ten am and we aim to finish by three to four o’clock. Some of the visits are in the Dales and Craven, but others are further afield. Everyone is welcome and no previous knowledge of geology is required.