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Warwickshire's Martian Past?
| Many of us have seen the latest pictures of the Martian surface, transmitted back to Earth from NASA’s landers. Mars is often known as the red planet, due to its weathered surface of rusty rocks and sand, and swirling storms of red dust. Interestingly, there are hints of arid, rusty, Mars-like landscapes right here in Warwickshire, in the distant geological past. | Records and specimens held within the Warwickshire Museum show that the county endured an extremely hot, dry climate between about 300 and 200 million years ago. Thick deposits of red sandstone, water-worn pebbles and shattered rock fragments underlie parts of the Kenilworth, Coventry and Nuneaton areas. They provide fascinating glimpses of an arid landscape of shimmering valleys, dusty red plains and pebble-strewn flats.
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| This is where the similarities end. Mars is now a dry, barren planet, devoid of obvious life and running water. Even when it was at its very driest, occasional rainstorms affected ancient Warwickshire, washing silt and rock fragments onto the plains below. Fossilised remains of trees, primitive amphibians and reptiles have been discovered in Warwickshire’s red rocks, proving that there was just enough water for a few plants and animals to survive. |
The geology gallery at Warwickshire Museum includes a display of local red rocks collected from the county. For more information contact the Keeper of Geology:
Telephone 01926 412481
Email museum@warwickshire.gov.uk
Click here for the Warwickshire geology home page
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