Wellbeing Bingo
Getting back to the Earth: play our wellbeing bingo game!
Getting back to the Earth: play our wellbeing bingo game! Life in this day and age can be fast-paced and stressful. Stop and take in our surroundings. We forget to slow down and connect with ourselves and with the world around us.
A great way to do this is to get out into the beautiful landscapes that make up Ynys Môn, and really take it all in. We at GeoMôn have crafted a few activities to help you connect with the landscape, history and significance of the island. We hope you’ll find an activity or two which really strikes a chord with you, giving you a way to connect with the land and allow yourself a bit of downtime.
And just for fun, we made it into a bingo! Can you complete this wellbeing bingo within a month?
Do feel free to get in touch to share your experiences with us by email at: info@geomon.org.uk
A note on respecting the landscape
Ynys Môn is a UNESCO global geopark and most of the coastline is an AONB. Our landscape is recognised nationally and globally as being incredibly special, and it should be treated as such: with respect and kindness. When out and about enjoying Ynys Môn, always keep the countryside and geologists’ codes, and if you can, leave the place better than you found it.
GeoMôn is here to help you explore and appreciate the fascinating geology of the island, and in doing so you will discover some beautiful rocks, fossils and minerals. These specimens are limited resources. It is for this reason that hammering or collecting rocks from bedrock exposures is prohibited. However, there are often pebbles on the beach which can be collected as souvenirs in moderation. Or even better: take photos and sketches instead!
And finally a note on safety. Your health and wellbeing always comes first, take care when looking at rocks along the coastline especially. Don’t go too near to tall cliffs as they may be unstable, keep an eye on the incoming tide, and rocks do get very slippery when wet!
With all this in mind, go out and enjoy this little series of activities!
- Balance stones on a beach
We all need a bit of balance in our lives sometimes. Going to a beach and balancing some rocks is a great way to switch off and really get to understand the stones you are working with. It requires more concentration than you might think!
Start by picking up a stone, make sure you feel its weight and coldness in your hands. Is it knobbly or smooth, grey or colourful? It’s important to note these kinds of things in geology, because how a rock looks tells you so much about its story.
Once you’ve had a good look at your stone you’ve got to do something with it, and this is where your creative balancing skills come in. There are as many ways to balance stones as there are stones on the beach, just let your imagination run wild! Pile them on top of one another, find a triangular shaped one and balance it on a point, make a tower, build a bridge… the possibilities are endless!
Take pictures of your art and send them to us if you’d like, we’ll share them on our social media or website!
- Describe your favourite place on Ynys Môn
Ynys Môn is full of special places. Almost anyone who has ever spent a decent amount of time on the island will have found a special place which really resonates with them. Maybe you have some good memories there, or you just love how the waves crash onto the rocks, or how the wind whistles past an old standing stone in a quiet field. Wherever your place is, go there and sit in the landscape for a while. Take it all in: the smells, sights, sounds, textures, even the taste of the sea-breeze (or a cold beer if it’s more to your liking).
Once you have experienced the place for a while, take out a notebook and pen and start writing. Just write what comes to mind about the landscape, write all of your sensations onto the page.
When you get home, you’ll have a little piece of the landscape with you in your mind, and you can always go back to what you wrote if you need reminding!
- Sketch a fold
To see the Lithosphere as it really is, we must envisage it as ever in process of transformation; as ever in motion, flexible, as rhythmically pulsating like a living thing.
Edward Greenly in “The Earth, its Nature and History” (1912)
Rocks may seem pretty solid, but under scorching hot temperatures and incredibly high pressures when buried deep underground they act a bit like dough. Rocks can be squished and metamorphosed into all sorts of shapes. One quite common shape is the fold.
At South Stack we have some of the best examples of folds in the world. You can see them along one of our self-guided geology trails. The best way to really appreciate the intricate beauty of these folds is to sketch what you see. Don’t worry about a lack of drawing skills, the point of drawing in geology is often to help you see better, not to actually create a masterpiece.
If you can’t get up to South Stack, try sketching any outcrop of rock you like the look of when out and about. You’ll find yourself noticing things that you would never have seen without stopping to really get down to the gritty details. If you want to know the story of the rock you sketched, do feel free to check out the location on our website, or drop by our visitor’s centre and we’ll see what we can do to help figure it out!
- Find an igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rock.
On the one hand, Geology is unbending in its demand for evidence: it is a strict inductive science. On the other hand, both its evidence and its results are to be realised only by the imagination. To be a true geologist, accordingly, one must be able to see the world with penetrating and imaginative eyes; nay, with something akin to the vision of a poet.
Edward Greenly in “The Earth, its Nature and History” (1912)
Getting out and about into our countryside is one of the best ways to switch off and escape our busy world for a while, as well as get in some exercise. But sometimes it can be difficult to find the motivation to get out. Learning about geology gives you the tools to read the history landscape just by looking at it, and makes any walk worthwhile. It’s a bit like a treasure hunt, you never know what beautiful rock with a fascinating story you may uncover!
There are three basic types of rocks: igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic, all of which can be found on Ynys Môn. Once you learn their distinguishing characteristics they can tell you a lot about the geological history of where you stand. Every rock you will ever find can be classified into one of these three groups. Don’t worry too much about the names, what is important is the stories that they tell you.
We can start with igneous rocks. These rocks are the results of magma or lava, coming up from deep underground where it is hot enough to have molten rock, cooling down and crystallising into a rock. It’s a bit like if you let melted chocolate cool down: it becomes hard. The basic distinguishing features of igneous rocks is that they are made up of small, interlocking crystals usually between 10mm and 0.2mm in size.
If you want to see good, no, world-class, examples of igneous rocks on Ynys Môn, you can visit Newborough Beach, where the dark greenish rocks sticking out of the sand between Ynys Llanddwyn and the mainland are pillow basalts (they look like big bulbous pillows), formed by lava bubbling up and cooling rapidly under an ocean. Other great examples of very different igneous rocks are the granites to be found across the town of Holyhead. We have a self-guided tour of Holyhead which you can use to find all the different types of granite used for buildings in the town.
So if you come across an igneous rock on your walks, with small interlocking crystals, you can turn to your hiking buddy and say: “Hey look, that’s an igneous rock. It was formed when lava or magma bubbled up from deep underground and cooled down into a rock!”.
The second type of rock we’ll look at is the sedimentary rock. This type of rock is formed when other rocks (whether that is igneous, metamorphic or sedimentary) are eroded down into pebble-, sand-, silt- or clay-sized particles, and deposited somewhere. Over millions of years, these particles compact down and a cement may fill up the gaps between them, gluing the whole mass together. The resulting rock is called a sedimentary rock. Common types you may have heard of include sandstone (with sand-sized particles), mudstone (with very fine particles), limestone (with particles of calcium carbonate and muddy material) and conglomerate (with rounded pebble-sized particles). The distinguishing feature of sedimentary rocks is that they are made up of pieces of other rocks. This is very easy to see in coarse-grained sedimentary rocks, but can sometimes be more difficult in fine-grained sedimentary rocks. Another good clue is that if you see fossils, you know that you are looking at a sedimentary rock.
A good place to see sedimentary rocks on the island is Lligwy Bay, where the left side of the beach is made up of red-coloured sandstones and siltstones, even showing mud cracks from when the fresh silt dried out. On the right hand side of Lligwy Bay you can see very different kinds of sedimentary rocks: limestones (some with fossils) formed in a shallow sea and conglomerates (made up of pebbles and boulders) formed probably during a flash-flood millions of years ago! To see the best sedimentary outcrops along this section of the coast, we highly recommend following this Geotrail.
So if you come across a sedimentary rock on your walks, made up of pieces of other rock, you can turn to your hiking buddy and say for example: “Hey look, that’s a sedimentary rock. It was formed when pieces of rock were eroded away from land, and deposited by wind or water to be buried and compacted into a stone. This one’s called a sandstone as the grains are sand-sized, but this one is a siltstone as the grains are silt-sized!”
The final type of rock is called a metamorphic rock. These rocks are basically the results of other rocks (igneous, sedimentary or metamorphic), being squished or heated to such an extent that they change their original characteristics. This may mean that the minerals are re-crystallised into other minerals, that the minerals re-align along specific splitting planes (called cleavage planes, think of slate for example), or that the rock is intensely bent out of shape and forms folds. The metamorphism can be very intense (high-grade) so that you can’t see any of the original structure of the rock anymore or very weak (low grade) so that you can still see what the original rock was. Examples of metamorphic rocks that you may have heard of include slate, marble, schist, and gneiss.
The distinguishing features of metamorphic rocks are a bit more difficult to define, but if you do see a rock with a lot of structure such as splitting planes (like slate), folds (these are often what are termed meta-sedimentary rocks), bands of different-coloured coarse crystals (for example gneiss), or a generally mixed up appearance, and it doesn’t look like a sedimentary or igneous rock, then you probably have a metamorphic rock.
A world-famous example of metamorphic rocks on Ynys Môn are the blueschists found at the base of the Marquees of Anglesey Column. The fascinating story of these dark blueish rocks can be found on the GeoMôn website.
So if you come across a metamorphic rock on your walks, with a generally altered appearance, you can turn to your hiking buddy and say for example: “Hey look, that’s a metamorphic rock. It was formed deep underground where pressures and temperatures were so high that it changed the very fabric of the original rock into something completely different! Look at those lovely cleavage planes!”
This brief introduction to the three basic types of rock will hopefully give you the tools to start interpreting the landscapes around you when out on walks. Perhaps you are beginning to see that the Earth is actually not static at all, as rocks are forever being recycled and turned into new rocks. This cycle is called the rock cycle, and understanding the basics of how it works can turn a landscape from just a pretty scene into an intensely fascinating one. These skills will open up a whole new world to you, as you’ll be seeing the landscape in 4D for the first time.
- Make art with pebbles on the beach
One of the most relaxing ways to spend your time on a pebbly beach is to make some art. Just search the words “land art stone” online and you’ll find all of the inspiration you’ll ever need. From mandalas and mosaics to stone towers and bridges, all can be made with the variable shapes and colours of the beach pebbles.
By making art, you are forced to choose between the different pebbles on the beach, and through this process you will see the magnificent variety of stone found on our beaches. Description is the geologist’s greatest tool. Learning to see rocks in all of their colours, shapes and textures to create a lovely piece of art for everyone to enjoy will also help hone in your skills of rock observation.
Do send us a picture of your masterpiece if you wish, and we will share it on our social media or website!
- Go on a geology tour of your local old stone church
Geology provides us with so much of what we need to survive and thrive in this day and age, as well as throughout human history. Our phones and cars are full of elements mined from the Earth; our food is grown on nutrients coming from the geology below; the geology dictates topography and is quite literally the bedrock of our stunning landscapes. We also build our houses from geology, whether in the form of concrete, or building stones quarried from just down the road (which is incidentally also made up of geological materials).
Visiting the old stone churches of Anglesey, of which there are almost 200, is a great way to see local building stone in action. The old churches are often very quiet and peaceful places, so they are good spots to sit and contemplate our relationship with the materials below our feet. Whilst pondering over this, take a good look at the stones which make up the church walls. How many different types can you spot?
Have they used specific types of rock for more detailed work? The intricate skills of the stonemasons working with local stone are unfortunately, slowly being lost. One must know the rock with all its fractures and grain sizes incredibly well to be able to work with it. Take a moment to appreciate the care and time taken to create these beautiful buildings and carvings.
For more information, our website has a page on the stones used to build some of the religious sites of Ynys Môn. You can also do a self-guided tour around the grounds of St Cristiolus Church, where the famous geologist Edward Greenly (see activity 10) is buried.
- Find some glacial till
It has been said that on the beach in Cemaes you can find every single type of rock on the island. But why is that?
To find the answer we must travel back in time to around 27,000 years ago, when Earth was caught in the cold grip of the last ice age. During this time, two thirds of Britain was under an ice sheet over 1km thick in places. The ice sheet was constantly on the move, creeping slowly southwards, scraping the land bare. These scratches (called striations) can still be seen across Ynys Môn, where soil and other materials have been freshly removed. Keep an eye out for the striations on your hikes along the coast, they are almost always orientated from NE to SW, the direction that the ice sheet was moving in.
When the ice sheet thawed around 18,000 years ago, it dumped all of the material it had scraped up. This glacial till, as it is called, is a mixture of material varying in size from finely powdered rock (clay) to boulders the size of a small car. It can be found blanketing pretty much the entire island. If you dig down in your garden below the soil layer, chances are you’ll hit some till before reaching the bedrock. However, the best places to see glacial till are along coastal areas where the cliffs cross-cut the deposits, such as at Lligwy Bay or along the Menai Straits near Beaumaris.
The distinguishing feature of a glacial till is that it is made up of angular clasts (pebble- to boulder-sized) surrounded by a fine clay matrix. These clasts vary massively in composition as well as size, with some having been carried from as far away as northern England and Scotland. For those familiar with the Lake District, keep an eye out for clasts of the Shap Granite, famously used to build the entrance to St. Pancreas Station and parts of St. Paul’s Cathedral.
Take a look at and really appreciate the range of clasts found in the till, as well as those eroded out onto the beach below. How many different types of rock can you find on the beach below these deposits? Do you recognise any of them from northern England, Scotland or north Wales? Can you put them into groups according to the three types (see activity 4)? Take care as always not to get too close to tall cliffs of glacial till as they can be quite unstable.
- Make a rock rainbow.
Since many of our beaches on Ynys Môn have rocks from all over the northern part of Britain (see activity 7), there is a great range in textures and colours in the pebbles. It won’t take you long, strolling along a pebbly beach after the rain has brought out the best colours, to find every colour of the rainbow. Collect a few up and leave a rainbow on the beach to light up every passing hiker’s day!
- Skim a stone
Many of us who have been lucky enough to grow up near a lake or the sea will remember fondly going down to the beach with your friends to see who can skim stones the furthest. If this was you as a kid, then you know what to do. Have some fun but don’t hit any passing gulls or kayakers!
If you have never skimmed a stone before, there’s a bit of a knack to it. Your best bet is to go down to a beach or lake on a still day with a friend who knows how to skim stones. If you don’t know anyone who can skim, watch an online video and practice with the flattest, roundest pebbles you can find.
- Work out what geology you live on
In 1895, Edward Greenly, with the help of his wife Annie Greenly, set out to map the geology of Ynys Môn. They spent 24 years traipsing over every square mile of the island, describing every crag, cliff and outcrop that they saw. This all resulted in a two volume memoir and a map of such great detail that it remains a quality benchmark for geological mapping to this day.
You can see a high-quality digital version of this beautiful map online, or buy one at the Watchhouse in Amlwch to put on your wall. Can you work out which type of geology your house stands on?
- Watch how waves in the sea create patterns in the sand
“The components of the Lithosphere are undergoing an unceasing round of transformation and re-distribution. So, as we turn our ears, we hear
The moaning of the homeless sea,
The sound of streams that, swift or slow
Draw down Æonian hills, and sow
The dust of continents to be.”
Edward Greenly in “The Earth, its Nature and History” (1912)
If you haven’t been down the a beach in a storm, you’re missing out on one of the most ferocious and awesome sights of Ynys Môn. The waves crash on the shore with a roar of such power that it’s not difficult to understand why water is such an erosive force on the land.
Beaches are the work of waves lapping up over hundreds, if not thousands of years. The waves and tides wear down the stones until they are smooth, rounded pebbles. They may sweep the land out to sea, or throw pebbles high onto land in a surging temper. Even on a calm day you can see the handywork of the waves in the form of ripples in the sand, soft pebbles, and stones sorted according to size along the beach.
Take some time to paddle barefoot in the cool shallows of the sea, and contemplate the power of water in creating the coastal landscape you are in.
- Find some fossils
Over 300 million years ago during the Carboniferous Period, what is now Ynys Môn lay to the south of the equator, and was covered several times by a shallow tropical sea. In these warm climates life absolutely thrived. There were coral reefs and shelled creatures called brachiopods living in the sea, while the land was abundant with tropical rainforest-like vegetation. On Ynys Môn, we find evidence of these ancient creatures in the form of fossils. Along the coastal path from Lligwy Bay to Penmon and Puffin Island is where most of the marine fossils, such as corals and brachiopods (a type of shell) are to be found. Look for the grey-coloured limestone in the cliffs and on the beaches.
You can also see fossils in the building stones used across the island, as the Carboniferous limestones are a popular building stone. GeoMôn’s Watchhouse in Amlwch is one such example, you can ask a volunteer to point them out to you if you don’t see them at first glance!
- Visit GeoMôn’s visitor centre and ask one of our brilliant volunteers about their favourite rock
GeoMôn’s visitor centre, the Watchhouse, is run entirely by a group of brilliant volunteers who give their time once a week to welcome visitors in the beautiful port of Amlwch. For many visitors, it is the passion and knowledge our volunteers that really makes the geology of the island come alive.
If you want to find out more of the fascinating geological history of our island, do come and visit us at the Watchhouse. Ask our volunteers about their favourite rocks if you don’t know where to get started!
If you too are hooked by the stories to be found in the stones, we are always welcoming new volunteers to come and help out at the Watchhouse. You don’t have to be a professionally trained geologist, just come with an interest and we’ll teach you the rest! Extra perks include free membership with GeoMôn, free access to all of our other events, and fieldtrips almost every month!
- Visit the oldest fossils in Wales and contemplate change and deep time
“Early Man’s glimpse of the motherhood of Earth was after all inadequate. We depend upon the existence of our parents for a moderate period only. But from the Great Mother we are never weaned. Our bodies, with whose functions those of our mind are inextricably bound-up, are actually portions of the body of the Earth, passing through certain special phases of change. We are far more than children of the Earth. From birth to death we are of the Earth’s own body. In our most exalted moments, we are of the Earth’s own life.”
Edward Greenly in “The Earth, its Nature and History” (1912)
In Ynys Môn we have the oldest fossils ever discovered in Wales and England. These stromatolites, as they are called, can be found at several sites across the island although they are a little difficult to find. The best place to see a sample actually is in our visitor’s centre in Amlwch.
Stromatolites are curious mounds or mats of algae which grew in a shallow, warm ocean around 800 to 860 million years ago. These species were likely some of the first photosynthesising lifeforms to ever exist, and they pumped oxygen into early Earth’s atmosphere for hundreds of millions of years. They created much of the oxygen which we all breathe in today, so without them no human, nor indeed most species on Earth, could ever have existed.
Take a moment to consider the importance of these tiny, unassuming lifeforms from so long ago. Small things can really make a big difference in this world!
- Make rock music
This is really a simple one. Hit rocks together until you find ones which sound nice. Your best bets are usually long and thin shaped sedimentary rocks (see activity 4). A good slate is also always worth a tap. Find a couple of them and you can create a makeshift xylophone to play a melody. You can imagine that this could have been similar to one of the first musical instruments ever made by man!
- Find alphabet rocks
No pebble looks quite the same, especially on Ynys Môn where the glaciers have dumped stones of all different types (see activity 7). If you have a closer look at these pebbles you’ll see that many have lines and cracks on them too. Some of these cracks were formed when the rock was deep underground and under high pressures or extensions. Some cracks will have had water flowing through them, steaming hot and full of minerals dissolved from other rocks. If the conditions were right, these dissolved minerals may have been precipitated out and dumped into the cracks, blocking them up with beautiful crystals. These filled-in cracks are called veins.
These veins and cracks become part of a pebble’s long history, and they also give us a great game to play when out on walks on the beach. If veins, cracks and other features intersect in the right way, they can form the letters of the alphabet! Can you find all the letters of your name?