4th Year Geologists Explore Praa Sands and Godrevy

This week all of our 4th Year Geologists enjoyed beautiful weather for their fieldwork at Praa Sands and Godrevy. The day provided a perfect opportunity for pupils to see in the field what they have been learning in class all year, and all within an hour’s drive from school. They began by identifying igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks through close examination of their textures. They then were able to consolidate their understanding of how each rock was formed by group discussion designed to promote their retrieval of core content from the GCSE course.

At Praa Sands pupils were tasked to work in groups to predict how the orientation and size of phenocrysts would vary across a dyke before systematically sampling along a transect to test their theories.

At both locations pupils were also able to examine evidence for climatic change, from a peat deposit formed when sea levels were lower in the last 2000 years, to a raised beach deposit at Godrevy formed shortly after the Last Glacial Period.

Miss Hope and Mr Blackie were impressed by the engagement of all pupils and their willingness to take academic risks as they sought to develop their practical and observational skills.