Geology of Dartmoor – Book Review

I love landscape and I love Dartmoor. With a background in physical geography I have some understanding of geology, but a geologist I am not. I find mineral compositions, geological terminology, and geology’s buried strata, sometimes challenging to get my head around. That is why Josephine Collingwood’s new book – ‘Geology of Dartmoor: An Introduction to Dartmoor through Deep Time; its Geology, Tor Formation and Mineralogy’ – is so fantastic. 

Yes, Josephine knows her subject, but what makes this book so engaging and useful is her ability to communicate. The book adeptly handles the detail of Dartmoor’s geological history in a simple, yet not dumbed-down way. She provides explanations with clarity and uses abundant diagrams and annotated photographs to beautifully illustrate the concepts. All of this requires skill and effort – it is much easier to make something sound complicated than to make it sound straightforward!

It has been fifty years since the last book on Dartmoor’s geology, and so this publication is well overdue. Whilst the rocks under our feet haven’t really changed in half a century, geological understandings and methods have progressed. Dating methods, ground penetrating techniques, computer modelling etc, have all advanced. Over this time, publications relevant to Dartmoor’s geology have continued to be published in scientific journals, but these are not accessible to the public. They are typically behind journal paywalls, and even where they are available, they are written in highly technical ways for other geologists. Josephine has digested the geological story so far and presented these latest understandings, fully referenced, for a wider audience. 

The other thing this book offers that was not possible fifty years ago is the generosity of its colour illustrations and photographs. Whereas older geology books provided line drawings and a few black and white photographs, the Geology of Dartmoor has abundant colour images on every page. Geology is a very visual discipline; it looks at small scale colour differences in minerals, and big sweeping 3D spatial patterns of rocks. Josephine’s book does not skimp in using images to support the visual nature of the subject, all photographed and designed by her. These educate and entertain the reader in support of the geological story she is telling.

In terms of content, the book introduces core geological concepts before leading the reader through geological periods, from the Devonian to the Quaternary (in which we live). Major events in Dartmoor’s geological history, such as the mountain building event known as the Variscan Orogeny and the formation of the Dartmoor granite batholith are explained. Josephine also introduces the key Dartmoor rocks and minerals before explaining more recent processes that have shaped the landscape – tor formation, glacial and periglacial activity, and river erosion. The book finishes with a closer look at key geological sites that usefully illustrate its main themes.

Reading this book has enhanced and enriched my understanding of Dartmoor’s landscape, and has already fed into a deeper appreciation of its geology in my own landscape writings. Whatever your relationship to Dartmoor, if it is a place you love, the knowledge of its geology found in this book, will bring you even closer.

I will finish this review with Josephine’s own words – the best way of illustrating why she is such a great writer and why this book is worth reading:

“In turbulent times it is comforting to study the Earth and its history. The perspective of deep time is fundamentally reassuring. Nature will always prevail. When life becomes overwhelming at times, I urge you to go out and sense the natural world around you; touch the rock, smell the moss, listen to the brook, and feel the dappled sunshine under the boughs of an ancient oak tree. The landscape grounds us and Nature can free our thoughts that may otherwise be bound”

The book is available from Tavicinity Publishing and is on the shelves in local bookshops.