Mike, as chairman of the Blewbury Environment Group, has championed this project from its conception. He has an international reputation as a geologist and a hydrologist.

His chapter focuses on:

The Rocks

This article takes us underground through the layers of rock which were built up under ancient seas, heaved up and reshaped by enormous forces in the earth’s crust and eroded by ancient rivers to form a basement for the massive layers of clay, limestone and finally chalk. The chalk itself is described in detail. From the billions of microfossils of which it is made to the shape and composition of the Downland we see today.

The Water

Over thousands of years the chalk aquifers have delivered a totally reliable, year-round, supply of clear spring water. We have a fascinating description of the mechanisms and the alarming effects of over abstraction for our modern needs. Our local villages owe their existence in large part to this water.