Geology
High Shincliffe lies on Carboniferous Coal Measures, from which coal was mined for several decades during the nineteenth century. As elsewhere on the Durham coalfield, the principal seam mined was the Hutton Seam, as this was generally of sufficient thickness to make mining economically viable. Several other thinner seams were also mined. The strata dip southwards, and so the Hutton Seam lies at some depth. Moreover, several metres of boulder clay glacial drift is overlying, and is of sufficient depth to prevent any outcropping. Two sand pits can be found towards Shincliffe Village, and whilst of no economic value now, will have had some significance in times past. It can be speculated that these pockets of sand resulted from small rivers outflowing from retreating glaciers at the end of the last Ice Age about 10,000 years ago. Sand martins build their nests in these sand pits.
Visible from High Shincliffe, from the south west around to the east, are escarpments of Permian magnesian limestone (dolomite), which is intensively quarried for roadstone throughout the region.
Shincliffe Bank is probably the south easterly bank of a deep flood plain following the course of a swollen, immediately post-glacial River Wear.
Of note, too, is a spring in the bank on the same side of the road several hundred metres towards High Shincliffe.
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