Carboniferous rocks and Quaternary deposits of the Appleby district (part of Sheet 30, England and Wales) Integrated Geoscience Surveys (North) Research Report RR/01/09 NATURAL ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH COUNCIL BRITISH GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Research Report RR/01/09 Carboniferous rocks and Quaternary deposits of the The National Grid and other Ordnance Survey data are used Appleby district (part of Sheet 30, with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. Ordnance England and Wales) Survey licence number GD 272191/2003. Richard A Hughes Cover illustration Step-featured escarpment on Bank Moor viewed from Crosby Ravensworth village, Cumbria. The escarpment is developed in alternating sandstone and limestone of the Brigantian Alston Formation. The foreground shows Shap Granite glacial erractics resting on thin till. Bibliographical reference HUGHES, R A. 2003. Carboniferous rocks and Quaternary deposits of the Appleby district (part of Sheet 30, England and Wales). British Geological Survey Research Report, RR/01/09. 17 pp. ISBN 0 85272 406 3 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 NERC permis- sion. Contact the BGS Copyright Manager, Keyworth, Nottingham. You may quote extracts of a reasonable length without prior permission, provided a full acknowledge- ment is given of the source of the extract. © NERC 2003. All rights reserved Keyworth, Nottingham British Geological Survey 2003 BRITISH GEOLOGICAL SURVEY ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The full range of Survey publications is available from the BGS The author would like to express his thanks to the Sales Desks at Nottingham, Edinburgh and London; see contact following individuals, whose knowledge and expertise was details below or shop online at www.geologyshop.com invaluable during the mapping exercise that formed the basis of this report: The London Information Office also maintains a reference collec- tion of BGS publications including maps for consultation. Mr Iain Burgess (formerly of BGS, now retired) The Survey publishes an annual catalogue of its maps and other Mr Michael McCormac (BGS) publications; this catalogue is available from any of the BGS Sales Desks. Dr Colin Rowley (formerly of the University of Portsmouth, now retired) mapped much of the present area The British Geological Survey carries out the geological survey during the course of his PhD research during the early of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the latter is an agency 1960s. Dr Rowley made available to the BGS his original service for the government of Northern Ireland), and of the sur- fieldslips during the course of the present resurvey work, rounding continental shelf, as well as its basic research projects. and his generosity is most gratefully acknowledged. It also undertakes programmes of British technical aid in geology in developing countries as arranged by the Department for International Development and other agencies. NOTES The British Geological Survey is a component body of the Natural Environment Research Council. All grid references given in brackets [] throughout the report are within the 100 km grid square NY. British Geological Survey offices Keyworth, Nottingham NG12 5GG ຜ 0115–936 3100 Fax 0115–936 3200 e-mail: sales @bgs.ac.uk www.bgs.ac.uk Shop online at: www.geologyshop.com Murchison House, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3LA ຜ 0131–667 1000 Fax 0131–668 2683 e-mail: [email protected] London Information Office at the Natural History Museum (Earth Galleries), Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London SW7 2DE ຜ 020–7589 4090 Fax 020–7584 8270 ຜ 020–7942 5344/45 e-mail: [email protected] Forde House, Park Five Business Centre, Harrier Way, Sowton, Exeter, Devon EX2 7HU ຜ 01392–445271 Fax 01392–445371 Geological Survey of Northern Ireland, 20 College Gardens, Belfast BT9 6BS ຜ 028–9066 6595 Fax 028–9066 2835 Maclean Building, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford, Oxfordshire OX10 8BB ຜ 01491–838800 Fax 01491–692345 Sophia House, 28 Cathedral Road, Cardiff, CF11 9LJ ຜ 029–2066 0147 Fax 029–2066 0159 Parent Body Natural Environment Research Council, Polaris House, North Star Avenue, Swindon, Wiltshire SN2 1EU ຜ 01793–411500 Fax 01793–411501 Contents Summary iv 6.1 Till 9 6.2 Glacial landforms 9 1 Introduction 1 6.3 Direction of ice movement 9 6.4 Alluvium 10 2 Regional setting 2 6.5 Peat 10 6.6 Landslip 10 3 Carboniferous Limestone Supergroup 3 3.1 Ravenstonedale Group 3 References 11 3.2 Great Scar Limestone Group 3 4 Yoredale Group 5 Figures 4.1 Alston Formation 5 4.2 Stainmore Formation 7 1 Location map, showing area of Appleby 1:50 000 sheet (pale yellow), 1:10 000 sheet tiles, and main set- 5 Structure 8 tlements 2 5.1 Faulting 8 2 Generalised vertical section through the Great Scar 5.2 Folding 8 Limestone Group 3 3 Generalised vertical section through the Alston 6 Quaternary 9 Formation 6 iii Summary This report describes the Carboniferous rocks and Quaternary Nature Reserve. Northwards, this sequence is succeeded deposits of the Ordnance Survey 1:10 000 scale sheets NY 52 by a Brigantian to early Namurian mixed clastic and SE, NY 61 NW, NY 61 NE, NY 61 SW, NY 61 SE, NY 62 carbonate fluviodeltaic and platform carbonate cyclic sedi- SW and NY 62 SE, part of the BGS (England and Wales) mentary rocks. Their distribution, stratigraphical relation- 1:50 000 sheet 30 (Appleby). The bedrock and Quaternary ships and structure are described in detail. geology of this area was partially surveyed between 1998 and The Carboniferous rocks are covered by a widespread 2000 during the revision of the Appleby 1:50 000 sheet. mantle of Quaternary deposits, consisting mainly of An early Carboniferous (Arundian–Holkerian–Asbian) Devensian till, with extensive postglacial alluvium in the platform-carbonate sequence is well exposed in the river valleys. The distribution and typical lithologies of southern part of the area, where it forms the extensive and these deposits, and the Quaternary history of the area are spectacular limestone pavements of the Asby Scar National described. iv 1 Introduction This report describes the Carboniferous rocks and (1965, 1969), who systematically mapped these rocks (but Quaternary deposits of the Ordnance Survey 1:10 000 scale not the overlying Quaternary deposits) at the 1:10 560 sheets NY 52 SE, NY 61 NW, NY 61 NE, NY 61 SW, NY scale throughout much of the present area during the early 61 SE, NY 62 SW and NY 62 SE (Figure 1), part of the 1960s. Dr Rowley (formerly of the University of BGS (England and Wales) 1:50 000 Sheet 30 (Appleby). Portsmouth, now retired) most generously placed his field The bedrock and Quaternary geology of this area was slips at the disposal of the BGS during the course of the partially surveyed during the summer and autumn months present resurvey programme, and his contribution is most of 1998, 1999 and 2000, as part of the resurvey of the gratefully acknowledged. The mapped geological bound- Appleby 1:50 000 Sheet. The area comprises gently aries of the Yoredale Group units on the BGS 1:10 000 northward dipping, early Carboniferous platform-carbonate scale sheets are mostly those of Rowley; major differences and fluviodeltaic cyclic sedimentary sequences, overlain by occur only where thick Quaternary deposits are present. Permian and Triassic, mainly continental, sedimentary Rowley followed the nomenclature of Dakyns et al. rocks in the north-east (Hughes, 2003). Quaternary cover is (1897) for the Yoredale Group (see Rowley 1969, table 1 patchy in the south, but almost complete in the north where for a summary of the history of Yoredale Group lithostrati- the landscape is dominated by drumlins. graphical nomenclature in the area). However, the In the south of the area are some of the most extensive Yoredale Group limestone nomenclature on the BGS and best preserved limestone pavements in England, many 1:10 000 scale geological sheets that complement this of which are protected within the Asby Scar National report is that of the adjacent BGS 1:50 000 Sheet 31 Nature Reserve. Elevation here climbs gently to about (Brough-under-Stainmore; Burgess and Holliday, 1979). 385 m at Beacon Hill [635 100], and the poor grazing The Brough nomenclature (which also is used on the offered by the limestone pavement areas supports only Alston Block) is used in order to maintain consistency sheep and a few cattle. Elevation falls gradually to the between the two adjacent BGS 1:50 000 Sheets, and to north, to a minimum of about 100 m in the valley of the avoid the proliferation of local names. River Eden [620 240] north-west of Appleby. Land use is a The lithostratigraphical nomenclature of the Great Scar mixture of pastoral and arable in these lower lying but Limestone Group (Holkerian to Asbian) follows that of Quaternary covered areas. Pattison (1990), who mapped the Sheets NY 60 NW and Appleby lies just east of the present area and is the main NY 60 NE (immediately adjacent to the south) during the town. The villages of Crosby Ravensworth, Maulds early 1980s. The global stratotype of the Asbian Stage is in Meaburn, Reagill, Great Asby, Drybeck, Bolton, King’s Potts Beck, within 2 kms of the southern limit of the Meaburn, Cliburn, Newby and Great Strickland are the present area (George et al. 1976); the term ‘Asbian’ is main rural centres of population (Figure 1). derived from the nearby village of Little Asby [698 097]. The Carboniferous sequence of the present area is one of The lithostratigraphic scheme used in this report therefore the poorest known in the whole of northern England.