Geological Stages in the United Kingdom

The Geology of the United Kingdom is complex and most of the Cretaceous sediments are across The Midlands and Southern England. The Stages and representative sediments are given - for simplicity, much has been omitted.  This chart only covers the pterosaur fossil sediments.

Upper Cretaceous

100 - 65 Ma

Maastrichtian Trimmingham Chalk (Upper Chalk).
Senonian Norwich Chalk (Upper Chalk).
Turonian Middle Chalk.
Upper Cenomanian Plenus Marls and Melbourne Rock, Lower Chalk.
Middle Cenomanian Lower Chalk.
Lower Cenomanian Chalk Marl, Warminster beds.
Lower Cretaceous (Albian and Aptian)

 118 -100 Ma

Upper Albian Upper Gault and Upper Greensand, Red Chalk.
Middle Albian Lower Gault, top of Lower Greensand, Speeton Clay.
Lower Albian Lower Greensand, top of Folkston Beds, Shenelly Limestone.
Upper Aptian Lower Greensand, Folkston Beds, Ferruginous Sands.
Lower Aptian Lower Greensand, Atherfield Clays.
Lower Cretaceous (Neocomian)

135 - 118 Ma

Barremian Weald Clay, Upper Wealden Beds.
Hauterivian Hastings Series, Middle Wealden Beds.
Valangnian Ashdown Sands, Lower Wealden Beds.
Berrisian / Ryazanian Durlston Beds / Upper Purbeck Beds
Upper Jurassic

-135 Ma

Portlandian / Volgian Lulworth Beds / Purbeck Beds, Portland Beds.
Upper Kimmeridgian Hartwell Clay and Upper Kimmeridge Clays
Lower Kimmeridgian Kimmeridge Bay Shales and Lower Kimmeridge Clays.
Oxfordian Corallian Beds - Ampthill Clay and Upper Oxford Clay.
Callovian Oxford Clays, Kellaway Rock, Kellaway Clay and Upper Cornbrash.
Middle Jurassic Bathonian Lower Cornbrash, Great Oolite and Inferior Oolite (Upper Deltic Series).
Bajocian Inferior Oolite (Lower Deltic Series).
Lower Jurassic

200 - Ma

Upper Lias Bridport Sands, Peak Shales, Allum Shales / Cotswold Sands, Jet Rock and Grey Shale.
Middle Lias Marlstone Rock Beds, Sands and Clays.
Lower Lias Green Ammonite Beds, Belemnite Marls, Black Marl, Blue Lias.
Triassic

240 - 200 Ma

Rheatic Langport Beds and Upper White Lias, Cotham Beds, Westbury beds and Contorta Shales.  Bone Beds at base contain few pterosaur fragments.
Keuper Marls and sandstones.
Bunter sandstones with few fossils.

Back