It’s ‘Ard Up North: An overview of the Chalk of the Northern Province

given by Paul Hildreth (Yorkshire Geological Society).

The Chalk of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire belongs to a sedimentary basin distinct from, and yet closely related to, other late Cretaceous basins in southern England. For many years, geologists attempted to fit the southern biostratigraphy onto the northern succession; rather like fitting a square peg in a round hole! A short, though very significant, paper was published in the Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society (PYGS) in 1978 which re-classified the northern Chalk, exactly 100 years after the first recorded reference to its greater similarity to the succession in Germany than to those of southern England and France. Ironically perhaps, but certainly apt for this meeting, a co-author of the 1978 paper was a native of Hertfordshire and well known to the Hertfordshire Geological Society.

This talk will focus on the lithostratigraphy of the chalks of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, compare with some levels of the southern succession and present some thoughts on future research. I may also be able to convince you that the spectacular chalk cliffs of Flamborough Head, which provide valuable exposures of the full Chalk succession as well as breathtaking scenery, are well worth a visit!

View this talk in the Members’ Section.