Glacial Erratic, Tunstall, Stoke - on -Trent, Staffordshire.
N 53° 03.575 W 002° 12.273
30U E 553308 N 5879194
A glacial erratic located in Tunstall Park on Victoria Park Road in Tunstall.
Waymark Code: WMTWN4
Location: West Midlands, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 01/15/2017
Views: 10
A glacial erratic is a piece of rock that differs from the size and type of rock native to the area in which it rests.
'Erratics' take their name from the Latin word errare, and are carried by glacial ice, often over distances of hundreds of kilometres. They can range in size from pebbles to large boulders.
This large glacial erratic is located near to the Adams Clock Tower, at the south west end of the Tunstall park. (
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It is a granite boulder that is estimated to weigh about six and a half tons.
I estimate it to be about 130cm in height and the perimeter to be about 440- 480cm. It feels cool and smooth on the front and is quite light in colour. The sides and back are darker and feel slightly rougher and gritty.
It was formed about 450 million years ago during an intensive period of volcanic activity in the Lake District. It was transported by ice –flows during the ice age and left behind when the ice finally retreated.