Black Country proves to be a global rock star
THE rocks beneath the Black Country, including coal, ironstone, clay and limestone, shape the lives and activities of its people, and profoundly influence its natural history.
They are the reason the Black Country helped to give the world the Industrial Revolution.
Now, in the words of Graham Worton, chair of the Black Country Geological Society, the world is giving something back.
This is because the Black Country has been designated a Global Geopark by UNESCO.
It joins another seven such sites in the United Kingdom, and about 160 worldwide. Global Geoparks have the same status as World Heritage Sites and Biosphere Reserves. The designation has been achieved after ten years of campaigning. It has been awarded because, as the society says, relative to its area, the Black Country has the most diverse geology of anywhere in the world, a diversity which has led directly to prosperity and wealth generation and has contributed to scientific knowledge and understanding on an international scale.
The designation also reflects the ways in which the geology is protected and interpreted, linked to local communities and sustainably managed.
This in turn is linked to its influence on human settlement, water supply and the location and types of industry. Local people have always been aware of this. For example, one of Dudley’s coats of arms incorporated a trilobite, fossils of which abound at Wren’s Nest. It is known locally as ‘the Dudley
Bug’.
They are a reminder of when today’s Black Country was submerged in a semi-tropical ocean. The shells of countless marine creatures formed the limestone found especially beneath Dudley and Walsall. In the carboniferous age huge forests held sway, leaving a legacy of one of the richest coal seams in the country.
Now more of us will know about this rich heritage and its stories. The geological riches will continue to support prosperity in the area as visitors are attracted to see the sites and hear the stories.
Peter Shirley is a nature
conservationist