London Urban Geology Walking Tours

SCENE SETTER

“As an offshore island, on the edge of a continent, Britain has an extraordinarily rich geology. Pumped, pummelled and folded by tectonic activity for three billion years, it has a variety of underlying strata not found on a great landmass. A traveller across the United States might go for hundreds of miles before noting a change in scenery; in most parts of England changes come thick and fast, influenced by over 700 types of soil and their underlying geology” (Simon Thurley).

THE GUIDE

Ruth is a top-flight, award-winning, professional geologist. She researches geological materials used in art, architecture and archaeology. She is interested in the natural history of cities and this includes the fossils and crystals that we walk past every day. Ruth has appeared on the BBC World Service programme Science Now and regularly writes and blogs on building stones.