Southern England Chalk Formation
E73949
The Southern England Chalk Formation is a major geological unit of Cretaceous-age chalk that underlies and shapes much of southern England’s landscape, including prominent hill ranges and downlands.
Observed surface forms (2)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Chalk landscapes of eastern England | 1 |
| North Downs chalk aquifer | 1 |
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Cretaceous stratigraphic unit
ⓘ
chalk formation ⓘ geological formation ⓘ |
| colour | white ⓘ |
| composition | calcium carbonate ⓘ |
| contains |
bentonitic clay layers
ⓘ
flint nodules ⓘ |
| containsFossilsOf |
ammonites
ⓘ
coccolithophores ⓘ echinoids ⓘ foraminifera ⓘ inoceramid bivalves ⓘ |
| country | United Kingdom ⓘ |
| depositionalEnvironment |
open marine carbonate platform
ⓘ
shallow marine shelf ⓘ |
| economicUse | source of aggregate and agricultural lime ⓘ |
| erosionStyle |
develops karstic features
ⓘ
forms dry valleys ⓘ |
| extendsBeneath |
Chiltern Hills
ⓘ
Lincolnshire Wolds ⓘ North Downs ⓘ Salisbury Plain ⓘ South Downs ⓘ North Wessex Downs ⓘ
surface form:
Wessex Downs
|
| extendsTo |
Dorset and East Devon Coast
ⓘ
surface form:
Dorset coast area
Isle of Wight Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty ⓘ
surface form:
Isle of Wight area
Kent coast area ⓘ |
| forms |
chalk downland landscapes
ⓘ
prominent white cliffs along parts of the English coast ⓘ rolling dip slopes ⓘ steep escarpments ⓘ |
| geologicalAge | Cretaceous ⓘ |
| hydrogeologyRole | major regional aquifer ⓘ |
| influences |
calcareous grassland habitats
ⓘ
soil development on chalk downlands ⓘ |
| lithology | chalk ⓘ |
| permeability | enhanced by fracturing ⓘ |
| porosity | high primary porosity ⓘ |
| primaryLithology |
carbonate rock
ⓘ
micritic limestone ⓘ |
| provides | groundwater resources for southern England ⓘ |
| region | southern England ⓘ |
| shapes |
downlands of southern England
ⓘ
hill ranges of southern England ⓘ |
| stratigraphicPosition | overlies older Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous rocks in southern England ⓘ |
| timeSpan | Late Cretaceous ⓘ |
| underlies | much of the landscape of southern England ⓘ |
Referenced by (3)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
North Downs chalk aquifer
this entity surface form:
Chalk landscapes of eastern England