INTRODUCTION Tectonic Evolution of the Bristol Channel borderlands

INTRODUCTION Tectonic Evolution of the Bristol Channel borderlands

INTRODUCTION I. LOCATION The Bristol Channel borderlands are shown in Fig. I.1. They are divided into the following areas for convenience of study: SW Dyfed, South Wales coalfield, Llanstephan-Carreg Cennen, Vale of Glamorgan, inner Bristol Channel, Somerset, north Devon, north Cornwall. Three main areas of Upper Palaeozoic geology are north Devon, Cornwall and South Wales. Areas of local Lower to Upper Palaeozoic interest are the Llanstephan-Carreg Cennen area and SW Dyfed. The inner Bristol Channel and the Vale of Glamorgan are areas of seismic reflection study. Areas of Mesozoic interest include the Vale of Glamorgan and Somerset. Surrounding areas such as south Devon, the Bristol district and the Welsh borderlands were investigated by review of literature relevant to areas within the Bristol Channel borderlands. BRISTOL CHANNEL BORDERLANDS The study region contains major sedimentary basins. The Mesozoic Bristol Channel basin is superimposed on Late Palaeozoic basins along the northern outer arc of the Variscan orogenic belt: the Devonian north Devon basin, the Culm thrust sheet top basin (Gayer & Jones, 1989) and the South Wales coalfield foreland basin (Kelling, 1988). To the north of the borderlands are the Welsh basin and Devonian molasse sediments of the Brecon Beacons whilst to the east are the Mesozoic and Tertiary strata of the Wessex basin flanking the Upper Palaeozoic inliers of the Mendip and Quantock hills. The Upper Palaeozoic stratigraphy of the Bristol Channel borderlands contains several major unconformities, eg, between the Lower Devonian and Upper Devonian beneath the Vale of Glamorgan and the Carboniferous Limestone and the Millstone Grit along the east crop. The most pronounced regional unconformity occurs between the pre- and post-Variscan Groups and yet it represents a short period of time, partly Stephanian and Permian times. Another significant unconformity occurs between the Upper Jurassic and Upper Cretaceous of the Bristol Channel Figure I.1 The Bristol Channel borderlands, subdivided into areas for convenience of study. Key: P Pembrokeshire (SW Dyfed); CC Carreg Cennen-Llanstephan; SWCB South Wales coal basin; G Gower; V of G Vale of Glamorgan; M Monmouth; B Bristol district; S Somerset; ND north Devon; NC north Cornwall; SD&SC south Devon & south Cornwall; and Bristol Channel. IV. AIMS II. ROCK TERMINOLOGY Having begun a detailed study of exposures in north Devon and South Wales it became clear that The sandstone classification of Gilbert (in Williams et al. 1954) and the carbonate classification of Dunham (1962) have been adopted for the thesis. the regional reactivation events identified by e.g. Powell (1987) and Le Gall (1991) could be subdivided into discrete episodes. basin. These unconformities mark periods of significant basin inversion. Fig. I.2 summarises the general stratigraphy of the Bristol Channel borderlands. The reader is referred to Chapter 2 for the broader setting of the study area within the western European Variscan orogen. III. GENERAL STRATIGRAPHY Precambrian to Tertiary strata are preserved within the Bristol Channel borderlands. The general thickness of sedimentary sequence above crystalline basement is about 6km. There is about 2000m of Precambrian exposed in SW Dyfed (Baker, 1982); 4000m of Lower Palaeozoic in SW Dyfed (George, 1970) a minimum of 350m in Monmouth (BGS 1:63,360 series, sheet 233) and over 600m in the Welsh borderlands (Brooks, 1970). There are 5300m of Upper Palaeozoic in Devon (Durrance & Laming, 1982; BGS 1:50,000 series, sheets 292 & 307/308, Bideford and Lundy and Bude) and 5500m maximum in South Wales (George, 1970). There are up to 400m of Mesozoic in the Vale of Glamorgan and about 1500m beneath the inner Bristol Channel (from seismic data). There are local sequences of Tertiary in isolated basins in Devon up to 800m in thickness (Freshney et al. 1979).

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INTRODUCTION Tectonic Evolution of the Bristol Channel borderlands

INTRODUCTION Tectonic Evolution of the Bristol Channel borderlands

This is attempted for the Variscan structure. The style of deformation in north Devon due to composite fault movement could be compared with the models of progressive deformation proposed by the Cardiff Coalfield Research Team for the South Wales coalfield.

has been highlighted by Gardiner & Sheridan (1981) and Gayer & Jones (1989). Two lines of investigation were followed: (1) a comparison was made of the kinematic history and style of deformation in the hangingwall and footwall blocks; and (2) investigations were carried out to determine how such contrasting terranes were juxtaposed. Field studies revealed new details of the mesoscale structure in the Bristol Channel borderlands and complications in the geometry and number of Variscan thrusts beneath the inner Bristol Channel. Chapter 3 describes the structure of the hangingwall of the BCFZ; Chapter 4 describes the footwall of the BCFZ. A comparison of the two blocks illustrates the evolution of the basement related fault-controlled basins in a compressional foreland setting. Devonian strata in the footwall contrast with the emergent basement related thrust zone of SW Dyfed and the thin skinned Variscan deformation in the western part of the South Wales Coalfield. This subdivision of the footwall block is tested in the case of the reactivation of various basement related faults beneath and within the coalfield. V. METHODS AND DATABASE A large structural database has been constructed from (1) coastal sections; (2) observations in

Figure I.2 General stratigraphy of the Bristol Channel borderlands. Composite stratigraphic column from George (1970). Key: Pc xtal Precambrian crystalline basement; Pc layered Precambrian layered sequence; LPlzc Lower Palaeozoic sequence; Trmc Tremadocian strata; sln Silurian strata; UPzc Upper Palaeozoic, mzc Mesozoic, Try Tertiary sequences.

British Coal opencast coal sites; (3) seismic reflection data from MERLIN GECO-PRAKLA and SHELL UK EXPRO; and (4) other sources such as BGS 1:50,000 series maps and borehole core from Keyworth, Nottingham, e.g. the Beacons Down borehole, near Ogmore. The method of research changed with the type of data utilised and with experience. Initial field

A major aim of the project was to define the concealed Variscan structure of the Bristol Channel and the Vale of Glamorgan using seismic reflection data. In the process of describing the Variscan structure of the Bristol Channel borderlands a methodology was devised where onshore stratigraphy and structure were used as analogues to assist seismic interpretation. Another aim of the project was to identify areas of Mesozoic and Tertiary geology which illustrate the reactivation of Variscan faults. This was a good means of completing the study because it would involve the remainder of the tectonic evolution of the Bristol Channel borderlands. The detailed aim of Chapters 3 & 4 is to present the geological history which describes further reactivation events to those described in the crustal evolutionary model, for South Wales and north Devon, proposed by Le Gall (1991). Powell (1987) and Le Gall (1991) emphasised the structural evolution from a Devonian basement framework to the final Variscan structure. However mesoscale details across the Bristol Channel borderlands have previously been overlooked. The geology of the Bristol Channel borderlands is subdivided by the Bristol Channel fault zone, linked to underlying Variscan thrusts (Brooks et al. 1988, Miliorizos, 1991). The contrast in style of deformation between the hangingwall and footwall blocks of the Bristol Channel fault zone (BCFZ)
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work was general in scope and concentrated on description of mesoscale structures. However a focused view to fieldwork was required to achieve even the initial aims of the project. Fieldwork progressed to model testing by 1:10,000 scale mapping and stratigraphic surveying. Focused model testing was especially significant in the analysis of the seismic reflection data. The thesis is thus essentially descriptive but each chapter is constructed so that emphasis is also placed on modelling in the research. Details of the seismic interpretation methods are given in the relevant chapters; most withstand the recent critique by Brooks (1992) on the general approach to seismic interpretation. VI. GEOMORPHOLOGY No attempt is made to describe the geomorphology of the Bristol Channel borderlands. However an important point to note is that the coastal geomorphology reflects the Variscan and Mesozoic faulted grain of the country rock. The orientation and structure of many coastal sections are related directly to bedding, cleavage, fold axial planes and faults. One such example is the shape of coast near Lynmouth. Another example may be the west coast of the Vale of Glamorgan controlled by Mesozoic faulting associated with the continuation of the Merthyr Mawr and Cothelstone faults.

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INTRODUCTION Tectonic Evolution of the Bristol Channel borderlands

INTRODUCTION Tectonic Evolution of the Bristol Channel borderlands

In general the shape of the whole of the inner Bristol Channel is controlled by Recent erosion along ancient fault lines.

VII. REFERENCES Brooks, M., 1970. Pre-Llandovery tectonism and the Malvern structure. Proceedings of the

Platform at Southerndown

Geologists Association, Volume 81, part 2, pp. 249-268. Brooks, M., Trayner, P.M. & Trimble, T.J., 1988. Mesozoic reactivation of Variscan thrusting in the Bristol Channel area, UK. Journal of the Geological Society, London, Volume 145, pp. 439444. Brooks, M., 1992. Discussion on the crustal evolutionary model for the Variscides of Ireland and Wales from SWAT seismic data; reply by B. Le Gall with collaboration of C. Bois and the ECORS SWAT Group. Journal of the Geological Society, London, Volume 149, part 4, p. 681. Baker, J.W., 1982. The Precambrian of south-west Dyfed. In: Geological Excursions in Dyfed,

Cliff folds at Watchet

south-west Wales, (editor) M.G. Bassett. Published for the Geologists Association, South Wales Group by the National Museum of Wales, Cardiff. Dunham, R.J., 1962. Classification of carbonate rocks according to depositional texture. In: W.E. Ham (editor), Classification of Carbonate Rocks. American Association of Petroleum Geologists Memoir, 1, pp. 108-121. Durrance, E.M. & Laming, D.J.C., 1982. (Editors) The Geology of Devon, University of Exeter. Freshney, E.C., Edmonds, E.A., Taylor, R.T. & Williams, B.J., 1979. Geology of the country around Bude and Bradworthy. Memoirs of the Geological Survey of Great Britain, (sheet 322 N.S.).

Waves at Trwyn y Wrach

Gardiner, P.R. & Sheridan, D.J.R., 1981. Tectonic framework of the Celtic Sea and adjacent areas with special reference to the location of the Variscan front. Journal of Structural Geology, Volume 3, number 3, pp. 317-331. Gayer, R.A. & Jones, J., 1989. The Variscan foreland in South Wales. Proceedings of the Ussher Society, Volume 9, pp. 177-179. George, T.N., 1970, South Wales, 3rd edition, British Regional Geology, HMSO. Kelling, G., 1988. Silesian sedimentation and tectonics in the South Wales basin: a brief review. In: Besly, B. & Kelling, G. (editors), Sedimentation in a synorogenic basin complex: the Upper Carboniferous of north-west Europe. Publishers: Blackie, Glasgow and London, pp. 38-42.

M. Miliorizos 1988-1992 PhD research.

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INTRODUCTION Tectonic Evolution of the Bristol Channel borderlands

INTRODUCTION Tectonic Evolution of the Bristol Channel borderlands

Le Gall, B., 1991. Crustal evolutionary model for the Variscides of Ireland and Wales from SWAT seismic data, Journal of the Geological Society, London, Volume 148, pp. 759-774. Miliorizos, M., 1991. Sub-Mesozoic stratigraphy and Variscan structure under the inner Bristol Channel, (abstract). Proceedings of the Ussher Society, Volume 7, part 4, p. 430. Powell, C.M., 1987. Inversion tectonics in SW Dyfed. Proceedings of the Geologists Association, Volume 98, pp. 193-203. Williams, H., Turner, F.J. & Gilbert, C.M., 1954. Petrography. Publishers: San Francisco, Freeman. VIII. FIGURE CAPTIONS Fig. I.1 The Bristol Channel borderlands subdivided into areas for convenience of study. Key: P Pembrokeshire (SW Dyfed); CC Carreg Cennen-Llanstephan; SWCB South Wales coal basin; G Gower; V of G Vale of Glamorgan; M Monmouth; B Bristol district; S Somerset; ND north Devon; NC north Cornwall; SD & SC south Devon and south Cornwall. Fig. I.2 General stratigraphy of the Bristol Channel borderlands. Composite stratigraphic column from George (1970). Key: Pc xtal Precambrian crystalline basement; Pc layered Precambrian layered sequence; LPzc Lower Palaeozoic; Trmc Tremadocian; sln Silurian; UPzc Upper Palaeozoic; mzc Mesozoic; Try Tertiary.
M. Miliorizos 30th April 2007 File name PhD Introduction pages 1 to 7

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