GEOLOGY
The rocks underlying the woodlands of the Gleadless Valley belong to the Coal Measures and were formed between 325 and 280 million years ago, during the Carboniferous period of geological time.

The rocks consist of alternating bands of shale and sandstone, with shales generally dominating.

LANDSCAPE
Lees Hall Wood is situated in the valleys of a network of streams, most of which originate either in the wood or in the green spaces surrounding this. The sources of the streams are either artificial culverts or natural springs. Although most of the latter occur on the valley sides, some can also be found in the valley bottoms, particularly where sandstones and shales meet.

Like most of the watercourses in the Gleadless Valley, the streams through Lees Hall Wood are generally shallow. They range from 0.5 to 3 metres in width and mainly have stony beds, with occasional silt and mud patches. The amount of water in the streams varies considerably from season to season and in dry periods some disappear altogether.

Close to the northern end of the wood these small tributary streams flow into the Meers Brook, the main watercourse through the Gleadless Valley. Just to the west of Lees Hall Wood, this has been culverted beneath the landfill area of Blackstock Open Space. It then emerges again for a short distance at Cat Lane before entering another culvert for the remainder of its journey to join the River Sheaf.

SOILS
Three main soil types underlie the woodlands of the Gleadless Valley: acidic soils, neutral soils and waterlogged soils.

Thin dry 'acidic soils' occur over sandstone, particularly on higher ground, as well as over shales on steep slopes. The depth and acidity of the soils is strongly affected by slope, with the thinnest and most acid soils being found on steeply sloping sites. Deeper and less acidic soils occur on flatter ground, even over sandstone.

Neutral soils are mainly found on flat to moderately sloping ground over shales. They vary in depth and clay content and also from dry to seasonally wet, the wettest areas being on stream banks, in valley bottoms and by springs and wet nutrient rich areas known as flushes.

Waterlogged soils are found in association with streams, springs and flushes. They occur mainly over shale, particularly where this meets sandstone strata. These conditions occur on the valley slopes as well as in the valley bottoms and by streams. Some of the springs are wet all year round but the flushes are more seasonal.

VIEWPOINTS
Being situated in a network of stream valleys, views from Lees Hall Wood are limited. An overview of the majority of the site can be gained from Gaunt Road to the south-east of the wood.