The stratigraphy of the Chalk Group in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire

The Chalk Group, mainly of Late Cretaceous age, forms the bedrock beneath much of East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire (Figure 1). In the western part of this region, it crops out at the surface to form the downland scenery of the Yorkshire and Lincolnshire Wolds, and spectacular cliffs up to 120 m in height where the Wolds meet the coast between Speeton and Bridlington. Farther south in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, there are no corresponding chalk cliffs because the Chalk is buried beneath drift deposits. These deposits, mainly Late Pleistocene (Devensian) tills, sands and gravels of glacial origin, and post-glacial (Holocene) coastal and marsh sediments, are typically some 20 to 30 m in thickness along the coast, and locally exceed 50 m. They blanket the eastern and southern part of the region, forming the lowland areas of Holderness and Lincoln Marsh. A former sea-cliff, of pre-Devensian age, can be traced beneath this drift cover some kilometres inshore of the present coast; it meets the modern coast at Sewerby, near Bridlington, and can be recognised on the banks of the Humber at Hessle and Barton (Figure 1). Across the Wash, to the south of the region, the Chalk is present in Norfolk. Again, much of the outcrop is concealed beneath drift, but it emerges to form the coastal cliffs at Hunstanton

The stratigraphy of the Chalk Group in Yorkshire, Humberside and Lincolnshire

This report was prepared for the Hydrogeology Group of the British Geological Survey, as a contribution towards their hydrogeological memoir for the region, a contract funded by the Nation Rivers Authority. It is based primarily on published maps and accounts of the succession (see References) with some additional information (e.g. boreholes and geophysical information) from BGS archives

Geological notes and local details for 1:10 000 sheet SP 11 NW (Farmington) : part of 1:50,000 sheets 217 (Moreton-in-Marsh) and 235 (Cirencester)

This account describes the geology of 1:lO 000 Sheet SP 11 NW (Farmington). The area falls largely within 150 000 Geological Sheet 235 (Cirencester), although the northenmost srtip (about lOOm wide) forms part of Sheet 217 (Moreton-in-Marsh). The first geological survey of the area was undertaken by E Hull during the 1850s; it was published as part of Old Series One-Inch Geological Sheet 44 in 1856, and described by Hull (1857). This survey was re-issued with minor amendments as New Series One-Inch Geological Sheets 217 and 235, published in 1929 and 1933, respectively. For the Farmington area, the only change from Hull’s original survey was the addition of alluvium and some outcrops of Chipping Norton Limestone by H G Dines. The geology of sheets 217 and 235 is described in memoirs by Richardson (1929; 1933); these are based on the work of Hull, supplemented by additional data such as quarry sections

A hydrogeological characterisation of the superficial deposits of the Severn valley upstream of the Shrewsbury

This report summarises the results of a collaborative study jointly funded by the Environment Agency and the British Geological Survey (BGS). BGS was commissioned to carry out a geological and hydrogeological characterisation of the superficial drift deposits of the Severn valley, upstream of Shrewsbury. The principal aims of the project were identified as follows: • to assess the heterogeneity of the superficial deposits within the buried channel systems that underlie this part of the River Severn • to identify hydrogeologically significant drift lithologies with respect to ground water storage and aquifer recharge, and • to assess their spatial distribution. A model of the sub-drift topography was constructed, based on information from over 700 boreholes. These revealed an irregular rockhead surface, deeply dissected locally by steep-sided, buried channels and broader, over-deepened depressions. The deepest of these is the Severn Trench, which probably links eastwards with a separate south-easttrending system of buried channels that passes beneath Shrewsbury. The drift varies considerably in thickness but on the lower ground commonly exceeds 40 m and in places reaches 120 m. In the Severn Trench, the sediment infill is dominantly one of clays and silts, but in the more easterly channels there are substantial sand bodies, which provide hydraulic connection between the River Severn and the underlying Permo-Triassic aquifer. A detailed assessment of the drift variation across the district was carried out from a study of borehole records. Despite the marked lateral and vertical variability encountered, it proved possible, by constructing a series of stratigraphic cross-sections, to rationalise and classify the drift into a relatively small number of hydrogeological domains and sub-domains. The resulting domain map distinguishes zones in which differing hydrogeological behaviour can be expected. For example, it shows where potential inflow from the River Severn via the drift to the Permo-Triassic aquifer is likely and where it is unlikely. It also indicates where precipitation recharge is likely to be restricted by the surface clays. The results of the study will be used by the Environment Agency to build an investigative groundwater model of the Alberbury groundwater unit. An electronic version of this report and digital outputs are to be found on the accompanying CD

Engineering geology of British rocks and soils : Lias Group

The report begins with an introduction and a detailed modern assessment of the geology of the Lias Group in terms of both stratigraphy and lithology. The modern lithostratigraphy is placed in the context of the old, and sometimes more familiar, usage. The next two chapters deal with the mineralogy of a suite of samples collected for the project, and an assessment of the nature and influence of weathering based on a detailed analysis of the Lias dataset held in the BGS National Geotechnical Properties Database. The following chapters cover geohazards associated with the Lias Group, and a brief overview of the wide variety of industrial applications for which the Lias is well known. The geotechnical database forms the basis of the penultimate chapter, geotechnical properties. The contents of the database are analysed, interpreted, presented in graphical form, and discussed in terms of statistical variation and in the light of likely engineering behaviour. The engineering geology of the Lias Group is discussed in the final chapter, borrowing from the preceding chapters. A comprehensive cited reference list and a bibliography are provided. In addition to the large number of technical data provided to BGS, a small data set has been generated by BGS laboratories, particularly in areas where the main database was deficient, and also in connection with associated BGS studies of the swelling and shrinkage properties of the Lias Group. The individual items of data making up the database are not attributed. However, the contribution of a wide range of consultancies, contractors, authorities, and individuals is acknowledged. It is hoped that this report will provide a source of useful information to a wide range of engineers, planners, scientists, and other interested parties concerned with Lias Group materials. It should be noted that whilst quantitative technical data are included in this report, these should not be used as a substitute for proper site investigation

Palaeoenvironmental control on distribution of crinoids in the Bathonian (Middle Jurassic) of England and France

Bulk sampling of a number of different marine and marginal marine lithofacies in the British Bathonian has allowed us to assess the palaeoenvironmental distribution of crinoids for the first time. Although remains are largely fragmentary, many species have been identified by comparison with articulated specimens from elsewhere, whilst the large and unbiased sample sizes allowed assessment of relative proportions of different taxa. Results indicate that distribution of crinoids well corresponds to particular facies. Ossicles of Chariocrinus and Balanocrinus dominate in deeper-water and lower-energy facies,with the former extending further into shallower-water facies than the latter. Isocrinus dominates in shallower water carbonate facies, accompanied by rarer comatulids, and was also present in the more marine parts of lagoons. Pentacrinites remains are abundant in very high-energy oolite shoal lithofacies. The presence of millericrinids within one, partly allochthonous lithofacies suggests the presence of an otherwise unknown hard substrate from which they have been transported. These results are compared to crinoid assemblages from other Mesozoic localities, and it is evident that the same morphological ad-aptations are present within crinoids from similar lithofacies throughout the Jurassic and Early Cretaceous

Sheet SP 37 SE Blubbenhall Part of 1:50 000 sheet 184 (Warwick)

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:8714.105(BGS-OGS-TR-WA--88/50) / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Geology of the Bedford district : a brief explanation of the geological map Sheet 203 Bedford

This Sheet Explanation provides a summary of the geology and applied geology of the district covered by geological 1:50 000 Series Sheet 203 Bedford, published as a Bedrock and Superficial Deposits edition in 2010. The district lies in the south-east of the English Midlands, about 45 miles north of London and includes parts of Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire