Pennine Basin
Encyclopedia
The Pennine Basin is a sedimentary basin
which was active during the Carboniferous
Period and which reached from the Southern Uplands
of Scotland
in the north to the former Wales-London-Brabant Massif in the English Midlands
to the south. Sediments deposited within the basin are now exposed at the surface throughout the Pennines
but are also present beneath the surface over a much wider area of northern England and indeed into northeast Wales
and just across the border into Scotland.
The basin was complex and consisted, at different times, of a variety of sub-basins separated by blocks across which typically sedimentation continued but resulted in much thinner rock sequences. The term, the 'Pennine Block-and-basin Province' is frequently used in literature to describe the situation which prevailed particularly during the lower Carboniferous.
Sedimentary basin
The term sedimentary basin is used to refer to any geographical feature exhibiting subsidence and consequent infilling by sedimentation. As the sediments are buried, they are subjected to increasing pressure and begin the process of lithification...
which was active during the Carboniferous
Carboniferous
The Carboniferous is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Devonian Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya , to the beginning of the Permian Period, about 299.0 ± 0.8 Mya . The name is derived from the Latin word for coal, carbo. Carboniferous means "coal-bearing"...
Period and which reached from the Southern Uplands
Southern Uplands
The Southern Uplands are the southernmost and least populous of mainland Scotland's three major geographic areas . The term is used both to describe the geographical region and to collectively denote the various ranges of hills within this region...
of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in the north to the former Wales-London-Brabant Massif in the English Midlands
English Midlands
The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
to the south. Sediments deposited within the basin are now exposed at the surface throughout the Pennines
Pennines
The Pennines are a low-rising mountain range, separating the North West of England from Yorkshire and the North East.Often described as the "backbone of England", they form a more-or-less continuous range stretching from the Peak District in Derbyshire, around the northern and eastern edges of...
but are also present beneath the surface over a much wider area of northern England and indeed into northeast Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and just across the border into Scotland.
The basin was complex and consisted, at different times, of a variety of sub-basins separated by blocks across which typically sedimentation continued but resulted in much thinner rock sequences. The term, the 'Pennine Block-and-basin Province' is frequently used in literature to describe the situation which prevailed particularly during the lower Carboniferous.