A lithostratigraphical framework for the Carboniferous successions of northern Great Britain (onshore) Research Report RR/10/07 HOW TO NAVIGATE THIS DOCUMENT Bookmarks The main elements of the table of contents are bookmarked enabling direct links to be followed to the principal section headings and sub- headings, figures, plates and tables irrespective of which part of the document the user is viewing. In addition, the report contains links: from the principal section and subsection headings back to the contents page, from each reference to a figure, plate or table directly to the corresponding figure, plate or table, from each figure, plate or table caption to the first place that figure, plate or table is mentioned in the text and from each page number back to the contents page. RETURN TO CONTENTS PAGE BRITISH GEOLOGICAL SURVEY The National Grid and other Ordnance Survey data are used RESEARCH REPOrt RR/10/07 with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. Licence No: 100017897/2011. Keywords Carboniferous, northern Britain, lithostratigraphy, chronostratigraphy, biostratigraphy. A lithostratigraphical framework Front cover for the Carboniferous successions View of Kae Heughs, Garleton Hills, East Lothian. Showing of northern Great Britain Chadian to Arundian lavas and tuffs of the Garleton Hills Volcanic Formation (Strathclyde Group) (onshore) exposed in a prominent scarp (P001032). Bibliographical reference M T Dean, M A E Browne, C N Waters and J H Powell DEAN, M T, BROWNE, M A E, WATERS, C N, and POWELL, J H. 2011. A lithostratigraphical Contributors: M C Akhurst, S D G Campbell, R A Hughes, E W Johnson, framework for the Carboniferous N S Jones, D J D Lawrence, M McCormac, A A McMillan, D Millward, successions of northern Great Britain (Onshore). British R A Smith, D Stephenson and B Young Geological Survey Research Report, RR/10/07. 174pp. ISBN 978 0 85272 665 5 Copyright in materials derived from the British Geological Survey’s work is owned by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and/or the authority that commissioned the work. You may not copy or adapt this publication without first obtaining permission. Contact the BGS Intellectual Property Rights Section, British Geological Survey, Keyworth, e-mail [email protected]. You may quote extracts of a reasonable length without prior permission, provided a full acknowledgement is given of the source of the extract. Your use of any information provided by the British Geological Survey (BGS) is at your own risk. Neither BGS nor the Natural Environment Research Council gives any warranty, condition or representation as to the quality, accuracy or completeness of the information or its suitability for any use or purpose. 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Columbus House, Greenmeadow Springs, Tongwynlais, Cardiff CF15 7NE Tel 029 2052 1962 Fax 029 2052 1963 Maclean Building, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford OX10 8BB Tel 01491 838800 Fax 01491 692345 Geological Survey of Northern Ireland, Colby House, Stranmillis Court, Belfast BT9 5BF Tel 028 9038 8462 Fax 028 9038 8461 www.bgs.ac.uk/gsni/ Parent Body Natural Environment Research Council, Polaris House, North Star Avenue, Swindon SN2 1EU Tel 01793 411500 Fax 01793 411501 www.nerc.ac.uk Website www.bgs.ac.uk Shop online at www.geologyshop.com Foreword This report is the published product of a study by the Valley of Scotland, southern Scotland, northern England British Geological Survey (BGS) Stratigraphical Framework and the Isle of Man. It provides criteria for rationalisation Committee (SFC) of the Carboniferous rocks of northern of existing nomenclature where necessary. Existing names Great Britain. The report provides a summary of a lithostrati- are used wherever appropriate, although where formation graphical scheme proposed by the SFC that aims to rational- names have not previously existed the report proposes a ise group and formation nomenclature for the Carboniferous new nomenclature and provides a full description. This rocks of the entire onshore area of northern Great Britain. framework report is produced in conjunction with a frame- The study draws upon a published overview report for the work report for onshore southern Great Britain (see Waters Carboniferous of Great Britain (Waters, et al., 2007), which et al., 2009). identifies a group framework based upon the identification BGS Stratigraphical Framework reports are published of nine major lithofacies associations across Britain. This in collaboration with the Stratigraphy Commission of the framework report provides further, more-detailed descrip- Geological Society of London through the BGS Internet tions of group and formation nomenclature, specifically website www.bgs.ac.uk where they are available as free for the onshore area of northern Great Britain (essentially downloads. Reports are peer-reviewed via the Geological north of the Craven Fault System) including the Midland Society of London’s Stratigraphy Commission. iii British Geological Survey Research Report RR/10/07 Acknowledgments This report is the result of much discussion and lively 2007). The subsequent task, detailed in this report, was to debate within the BGS regarding the formulation of a complete a comprehensive lithostratigraphical description comprehensive hierarchical lithostratigraphical scheme of northern Great Britain. The authors of and contributors for the onshore successions of Great Britain. In 1999 Dr to this report include those who produced the Lexicon Peter Allen (Assistant Director, BGS) requested that the entries for many of the units described. However, it is chairmen of the established Stratigraphical Framework particularly important to acknowledge the contribution of Committee, Mike Browne (Midland Valley of Scotland), D Stephenson in the compilation of Section 4.3.3 on the Nick Riley (Namurian of the Pennines) and Brian Young Clyde Plateau Volcanic Formation. The authors of the (Carboniferous of the Scottish Borders and northern report gratefully acknowledge the contribution of many England) investigate the possibility of producing a UK others in BGS who have offered constructive advice, wide subdivision of Dinantian and Namurian lithostratig- especially D J Lowe in his role as Lexicon Manager. The raphy at group level. Following a meeting held on 11 June comments of the BGS Stratigraphy Committee (Chaired 1999 a top-down approach, defining groups by broad by J H Powell) and the external reviewers, Dr Ian lithological facies was proposed, and schematic correla- Somerville (University College Dublin) and Dr Gilbert tion figures were generated to indicate the distribution Kelling (University of Keele), are also acknowledged. of these main lithofacies types. This proposal forms Joanna Thomas is thanked for editing the report and the basis of the subsequent scheme published within an Louise Wilson, Stuart Horsburgh and Paul Lappage are overview report for the entire UK onshore (Waters et al., thanked for the drafting of the figures. British Geological Survey iv Research Report RR/10/07 Contents Foreword iii Stainmore Trough and Ravenstonedale 97 Acknowledgements iv Askrigg Block 101 Askrigg Block–Craven Basin Transition Zone 103 Summary vii South Cumbria 106 1 Introduction 1 North and West Cumbria 109 1.1 Tectonic setting 1 Isle of Man 110 1.2 Palaeogeography 1 6.7 Yoredale Group 113 2 Correlation and biostratigraphical framework 5 6.8 Craven Group 128 2.1 Chronostratigraphy 5 6.9 Millstone Grit Group 132 2.2 Biostratigraphy 5 6.10 Pennine Coal Measures Group 137 6.11 Warwickshire Group 141 3 Lithostratigraphical framework 11 3.1 Group framework 11 7 References 145 3.2 Formation framework 13 Appendix 1 Alphabetical listing of lithostratigraphical 4 Carboniferous rocks of Scotland north of the units