Westmorland Geological Society THE MILLENNIUM MAPPING PROJECT Geology of the area between Lindale and Witherslack Geology and Landscapes Northern Britain Programme Internal Report IR/06/079 BRITISH GEOLOGICAL SURVEY GEOLOGY AND LANDSCAPES NORTHERN BRITAIN PROGRAMME INTERNAL REPORT IR/06/079 Geology of the area between Lindale and Witherslack P R Thomas The National Grid and other Ordnance Survey data are used with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Contributors Stationery Office. Licence No: 100017897/2005. J M Balderstone, M E Dewey Keywords Report; Cumbria; Kirkby Lonsdale; Silurian; Advisory Editor Carboniferous. C R Rowley Front cover Outcrops of the Bannisdale Formation on Barrow Hollin looking eastwards to Whitbarrow Crag and the Yorkshire Dales. (Photo: M E Dewey) Assistance in the field given by Bibliographical reference E Amos, B Blatchford, M Coates, J Coopey, G Dewey, J Fairhurst, THOMAS, P R. 2005. Geology of the area between Lindale and D Hunt, S Jamieson, R Jarvis, K Johnson, B Kettle, P Kershaw, M Witherslack. British Geological Parsons, D Sanderson, J Slee-Smith, M Thomson, P White, G White Survey Internal Report, IR/06/079. 39pp. and P Wilson. 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. Maps and diagrams in this book use topography based on Ordnance Survey mapping. © NERC 2006. All rights reserved Keyworth, Nottingham British Geological Survey 2006 BRITISH GEOLOGICAL SURVEY The full range of Survey publications is available from the BGS British Geological Survey offices Sales Desks at Nottingham, Edinburgh and London; see contact details below or shop online at www.geologyshop.com Keyworth, Nottingham NG12 5GG The London Information Office also maintains a reference 0115-936 3241 Fax 0115-936 3488 collection of BGS publications including maps for consultation. e-mail: [email protected] The Survey publishes an annual catalogue of its maps and other www.bgs.ac.uk publications; this catalogue is available from any of the BGS Sales Shop online at: www.geologyshop.com Desks. 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(Earth Galleries), Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London SW7 2DE The British Geological Survey is a component body of the Natural Environment Research Council. 020-7589 4090 Fax 020-7584 8270 020-7942 5344/45 email: [email protected] Forde House, Park Five Business Centre, Harrier Way, Sowton, Exeter, Devon EX2 7HU 01392-445271 Fax 01392-445371 Geological Survey of Northern Ireland, Colby House, Stranmillis Court, Belfast BT9 5BF 028-9038 8462 Fax 028-9038 8461 Maclean Building, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford, Oxfordshire OX10 8BB 01491-838800 Fax 01491-692345 Columbus House, Greenmeadow Springs, Tongwynlais, Cardiff, CF15 7NE 029–2052 1962 Fax 029–2052 1963 Parent Body Natural Environment Research Council, Polaris House, North Star Avenue, Swindon, Wiltshire SN2 1EU 01793-411500 Fax 01793-411501 www.nerc.ac.uk IR/06/079; Version 1.0 Last modified: 2006/09/26 08:36 Foreword This report, and the 1:10 000-scale geological sheet SD48SW which it describes, are the products of the Westmorland Geological Society’s ‘Millennium Mapping Project’. From 2000 until 2003 a team of over twenty members of the Society, supervised by P R Thomas and C R Rowley, completed the geological survey of the area between Lindale and Witherslack. The Project has been led throughout by P R Thomas. During the project, members of the Society sought advice on current BGS practice and standards from D Millward and M McCormac; they, and I C Burgess and N J Soper also participated in field workshops with the mapping team. To my knowledge this is the first time that a Geological Society has embarked upon such a venture with such a successful outcome. The project has been funded entirely by their members. This area lies within the British Geological Survey 1:50 000-scale geological series Sheet 49, Kirkby Lonsdale. Resurvey of this district is currently underway as part of the Geology and Landscapes of Northern Britain Programme. The Westmorland Geological Society’s original report forms the basis of this publication in the Internal Report series. The BGS acknowledges the contribution of the Society to the understanding of the geology of this area and recognises its copyright of the original documents. The BGS is also pleased to be able to incorporate information from this high quality work in the new edition of Sheet 49 and in the Sheet Description and Sheet Explanation that will accompany it. This published report has been edited by M McCormac and D Millward. Dr Martin Smith GLNB Programme Manager. Note In this report ‘district’ refers to the area covered by Ordnance Survey National Grid sheet SD48SW. Numbers in square brackets are National Grid references. Unless otherwise indicated, all the references lie within the 100 km square SD. i IR/06/079; Version 1.0 Last modified: 2006/09/26 08:36 Acknowledgements This report was produced voluntarily by the Westmorland Geological Society, as their Millennium Mapping Project. It was funded by all those who contributed time and effort either in the field or at home to complete the project. Twenty three members of the Westmorland Geological Society have contributed to the project. Most of this assistance was received at the mapping stage of the study. Key members of the Mapping Project have helped to review draft chapters of this report. Of the many members who have contributed to the project we would particularly like to thank the following: P R Thomas, J M Balderstone, M E Dewey, G V Dewey and C R Rowley, and also our Chairman, M H Parsons and our President, S K Monro for their continuous encouragement. Useful help and advice was given by D Millward and M McCormac of BGS, Edinburgh, and N J Soper and I Burgess, who have been involved in mapping adjacent Sheets. BGS also supplied the base maps, provided borehole logs and original field maps for us to view at Murchison House and loaned the Society aerial photographs to cover the sheet. We would also like to thank the Holker Estates, Halecat Estate and individual farmers of the Winster Valley for allowing access to their land. ii IR/06/079; Version 1.0 Last modified: 2006/09/26 08:36 Contents Foreword.........................................................................................................................................i Acknowledgements........................................................................................................................ii Contents.........................................................................................................................................iii Summary........................................................................................................................................ v 1 Introduction............................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Previous surveys............................................................................................................. 1 1.2 General succession......................................................................................................... 2 2 Silurian rocks.......................................................................................................................... 2 2.1 Bannisdale Formation..................................................................................................... 2 2.2 Kirkby Moor Formation ................................................................................................. 4 3 Carboniferous rocks............................................................................................................... 5 3.1 Martin Limestone Formation.......................................................................................... 5 3.2 Red Hill Limestone Formation....................................................................................... 6 3.3 Dalton Formation............................................................................................................6 3.4 Park Limestone Formation ............................................................................................. 6 3.5 Urswick Limestone Formation ....................................................................................... 7 4 Permo-Triassic infills............................................................................................................. 7 5 Structure ................................................................................................................................