Manchester Ship Canal

Sandstone deposits on the bank of the Manchester Ship Canal. The picture clearly shows layers of sand. These are deposited under desertlike conditions, and later compressed to form solid rock. Some of the layers are not horizontal, and form lines at an angle. These show former sand dunes, created by strong winds. This cutting was exposed by the building of the Manchester Ship Canal to Liverpool.

Waterway which links the city of Manchester with the River Mersey and the sea; length 57 km/35.5 mi, width 14–24 m/45–80 ft, depth 9 m/28.3 ft. It has five locks. The canal was opened in 1894, linking Manchester to Eastham in Merseyside.

The canal transformed Lancashire's economy by making Manchester accessible to ocean-going craft. In particular, it led to the development of the cotton industry as raw cotton was transported east along the canal to Manchester and the finished textile products were shipped west to the Merseyside ports. Although the area has suffered industrial decline, the canal is still in effect the ‘port of Manchester’, handling approximately 16 million tons per year.