Widmerpool Gulf
Encyclopedia
The Widmerpool Gulf is a name given to a sedimentary basin
that existed as an area of open water during the Early Carboniferous
(Tournaisian Age
). It is named after Widmerpool
, near Nottingham
and was an extension eastwards as far as Lincolnshire, of the North Staffordshire Gulf. It was formed during a rifting
event, which began in the Late Devonian
, that affected the area between the London-Brabant Massif to the south and the Highland Boundary Fault
to the north. It has a large normal fault on its southern margin and has the form of a half-graben.
In time, the equatorial swamp forests on its shores were converted into the coalfields of Leicestershire
, to the south and Nottinghamshire
, to the north.
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...
that existed as an area of open water during the Early 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"...
(Tournaisian Age
Tournaisian
The Tournaisian is in the ICS geologic timescale the lowest stage or oldest age of the Mississippian, the oldest subsystem of the Carboniferous. The Tournaisian age lasted from 359.2 ± 2.5 Ma to 345.3 ± 2.1 Ma...
). It is named after Widmerpool
Widmerpool
Widmerpool is a village and civil parish in Nottinghamshire, about 10 miles south, south east of Nottingham and some 7.5 miles north east of Loughborough. It sits just over a mile west of the A46 and, as one of Nottinghamshire's oldest settlements, enjoyed that proximity to that road when it was...
, near Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
and was an extension eastwards as far as Lincolnshire, of the North Staffordshire Gulf. It was formed during a rifting
Rift
In geology, a rift or chasm is a place where the Earth's crust and lithosphere are being pulled apart and is an example of extensional tectonics....
event, which began in the Late Devonian
Devonian
The Devonian is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic Era spanning from the end of the Silurian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya , to the beginning of the Carboniferous Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya...
, that affected the area between the London-Brabant Massif to the south and the Highland Boundary Fault
Highland Boundary Fault
The Highland Boundary Fault is a geological fault that traverses Scotland from Arran and Helensburgh on the west coast to Stonehaven in the east...
to the north. It has a large normal fault on its southern margin and has the form of a half-graben.
In time, the equatorial swamp forests on its shores were converted into the coalfields of Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
, to the south and Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
, to the north.