Geology of Cardigan Bay and the Bristol Channel [Digital reprint] (POD)

This report covers the sea area off Wales and north of southwest England out to the UK/Irish median line. The authors are Dave Tappin, Andrew Chadwick, Audrey Jackson, Robin Wingfield and N Smith.

The Geology of the area : In the early Palaeozoic, marine sediments were deposited in the Welsh Basin, interrupted by volcanic activity.
The Ordovician largely volcanic rocks pass into Silurian turbidites and bathyal mudstones.
Uplift of the area in the Caledonian orogeny led to the deposition of shallow marine sediments in the Devonian and early Carboniferous.

Further uplift during the Variscan orogeny led to the deposition of arid continental sands and associated muds during the Permian and Triassic.
A marine environment again became established in the Jurassic and Cretaceous, followed by basin inversion and the deposition of Tertiary alluvial sediments.

The area lay on the southern fringe of the Quaternary ice sheets and Pleistocene sediments up to 400 m thick lie under the Celtic deep and St George's Channel.

This report is available as a print-on-demand publication; A4, bound in clear acetate covers.

Author Tappin, D.R.

ISBN 0118845063

Year Published 1994