22:
60:
33:
428:, before rising abruptly to around 200 metres (660 ft) above sea level in parts of the central hills of the Isle of Wight and the Purbeck Hills. The chalk can be visualised as a thin layer draped over rigid blocks of older
439:
Beneath the chalk the geology is complex. It is believed that a series of major blocks separated by faults trending NW-SE is fragmented into smaller blocks by numerous east-west trending
650:
during the Eocene. By the
Oligocene the London Basin was wholly dry land, and only a small part of the Hampshire Basin, centred on the modern Solent, was an area of marine deposition.
591:
The simple basin structure is complicated by localised folding. A smaller outcrop of
Palaeocene and Eocene deposits occurs in a small syncline to the south-east of
420:
terminating abruptly at a near vertical monocline in the south. The chalk surface dips from around 170 metres (560 ft) above sea level west of
458:
times, resulting in considerable variations in the thickness of the various formations deposited over them before the chalk. Rocks of
284:. In addition to the northern half of the Isle of Wight which lies within the basin, the harbours contain inhabited islands including
881:
806:
344:
directly to the
English Channel. The central part drains into the Solent (directly or via Southampton Water), through the
826:
786:
765:
738:
711:
691:
683:
866:
871:
297:
619:, separated from the chalk of the South Downs by a belt of Reading Beds and London Clay continuing from
140:
The
Hampshire Basin is the traditional name for the landward section of a basin underlying the northern
876:
757:
839:
638:
It is likely that the London and
Hampshire basins were initially part of a single larger area of
490:
353:
273:
176:
and the central spine of the Isle of Wight and continuing under the
English Channel as the Wight-
28:
of southeastern
England and parts of France, showing the Hampshire Basin in its regional context.
647:
425:
197:
145:
341:
201:
192:. The basin at its widest is around 30 miles (48 km), north-west to south-east, between
646:
during the
Palaeocene. The two basins were progressively separated by the emergence of the
639:
632:
43:
to the north and
Hampshire Basin to the south. Also visible is the inverted nature of the
8:
337:
321:
313:
21:
577:
525:
261:
257:
149:
822:
802:
782:
761:
734:
707:
687:
643:
265:
253:
161:
493:
progressing across into Dorset from the east. There is evidence that the top of the
59:
569:
489:) in age. The chalk itself varies considerably in thickness, with the results of a
86:
78:
52:
48:
557:
536:') outcrop in narrow bands towards the perimeter of the basin, from the coast at
494:
459:
440:
417:
345:
316:
and Solent rivers would have drained much of the basin from west to east, fed by
285:
189:
185:
169:
141:
608:
604:
560:. Within this rim, over the greater part of the basin is an outcrop of younger
433:
429:
413:
293:
289:
269:
217:
63:
25:
36:
North-south cross-section of the upper crust of southern
England, showing the
860:
729:, British Regional Geology series, Institute of Geological Sciences, London:
521:
377:
249:
165:
94:
612:
565:
471:
369:
361:
333:
221:
177:
106:
40:
659:
573:
533:
486:
373:
365:
317:
233:
229:
205:
181:
173:
153:
122:
32:
801:, 1:250,000 Geological map series, Keyworth: British Geological Survey,
781:, 1:250,000 Geological map series, Keyworth: British Geological Survey,
607:
within the younger sediments; the London Clay to the north contains the
580:) only occur on the northern Isle of Wight; the Headon Hill beds of the
450:. These blocks have moved vertically relative to each other during late
144:
and much of central southern England, known more fully as the Hampshire-
624:
600:
581:
549:
509:
501:
482:
451:
444:
421:
397:
393:
357:
349:
245:
237:
225:
129:
82:
75:
497:
to the west is the same age as the oldest chalk in the Isle of Wight.
332:. Today the western part of the basin drains via the rivers Frome and
840:"History of the major rivers of southern Britain during the Tertiary"
596:
592:
545:
540:, around the perimeter of the Dorset heathlands, north and east past
517:
505:
478:
447:
325:
281:
193:
157:
118:
90:
37:
616:
611:. A similar structure further east causes chalk to outcrop between
553:
537:
513:
475:
455:
409:
329:
148:
Basin. It stretches a little over 100 miles (160 km) from the
628:
381:
620:
585:
561:
541:
529:
467:
463:
385:
102:
98:
584:, formerly classified as Oligocene, are now regarded as late
389:
309:
277:
44:
817:
Trueman A.E. revised by Whittow J.B. and Hardy J.R (1971),
730:
164:, resulting in a near-vertical chalk ridge which forms the
125:
114:
110:
241:
121:
and younger ages and it is surrounded by a broken rim of
216:
The basin includes areas of forest and heath including
320:
flowing from the north and south. At the end of the
837:
180:monocline. The northern limit is the chalk of the
156:in the east. Its southern boundary is marked by a
777:Edwards R.A., Crosby A. & Briden J.C (1983),
725:Melville, R.V. & Freshney E.C (4th Ed 1982),
432:at depth, which have moved vertically due to the
424:to 600 metres (2,000 ft) below sea level at
858:
388:, and is crossed by larger rivers draining the
686:Special Publication 11, Academic Press, 1980,
756:, 1:250,000 Geological map series, Keyworth:
328:, which separated the Isle of Wight from the
376:. The eastern part of the basin is a narrow
308:The Hampshire Basin has no single dominant
721:
719:
603:results in the significant chalk ridge of
748:
746:
662:- the western part of the Hampshire Basin
408:The main basin consists of an asymmetric
228:and the large south coast settlements of
838:Gibbard P.; Lewin J. (29 October 2007).
819:Geology and Scenery in England and Wales
443:; one such block acts as a trap for the
58:
31:
20:
727:The Hampshire Basin and adjoining areas
716:
412:in the Cretaceous chalk, with a gentle
859:
799:Chilterns: Sheet 51N 02W Solid Geology
771:
752:Andrews I.J & Balson P.S. (1995),
743:
240:. The coast has many drowned valleys (
168:of Dorset, running under the sea from
842:. Quaternary Palaeoenvironments Group
779:Portland: Sheet 50N 04W Solid Geology
706:, Bradford on Avon:Ex Libris Press,
576:beds. The youngest, Oligocene beds (
324:this system was disrupted by rising
109:to the northeast, it is filled with
55:sequence. Vertical exaggeration 1:5.
500:Above the chalk the basin contains
13:
754:Wight: Sheet 50N 02W Solid Geology
14:
893:
821:, Harmondsworth: Penguin books,
704:The Shaping of the Isle of Wight
684:Institute of British Geographers
336:into Poole Harbour, and via the
51:and thus has a relatively thick
680:The Shaping of Southern England
47:, which was a basin during the
831:
811:
791:
696:
672:
1:
666:
466:) age were deposited over an
882:Sedimentary basins of Europe
520:) age. The oldest beds, the
211:
7:
653:
470:surface, which ranges from
303:
16:Geological basin in England
10:
898:
544:, swinging southeast past
403:
758:British Geological Survey
135:
204:is usually known as the
504:sediments ranging from
380:draining into the many
200:. The area west of the
867:Geography of Hampshire
797:Jackson, A.A. (1991),
648:Weald-Artois Anticline
642:covering the whole of
548:and eastwards towards
312:. In former times the
198:Newport, Isle of Wight
89:, underlying parts of
67:
66:of the Hampshire Basin
56:
29:
62:
35:
24:
872:Geology of Hampshire
491:marine transgression
152:area in the west to
678:Jones K.C.D. (Ed),
578:Bouldnor Formation
262:Chichester Harbour
258:Portsmouth Harbour
68:
57:
30:
877:Paleogene England
807:978-0-7518-1899-4
644:southeast England
266:Langstone Harbour
254:Southampton Water
162:Purbeck Monocline
889:
852:
851:
849:
847:
835:
829:
815:
809:
795:
789:
775:
769:
750:
741:
723:
714:
702:Bird, E (1997),
700:
694:
676:
631:to the coast at
599:to the north of
485:(mid-Cretaceous
416:southwards from
87:southern England
53:Lower Cretaceous
49:Early Cretaceous
897:
896:
892:
891:
890:
888:
887:
886:
857:
856:
855:
845:
843:
836:
832:
816:
812:
796:
792:
776:
772:
751:
744:
724:
717:
701:
697:
677:
673:
669:
656:
558:Shoreham-by-Sea
495:Upper Greensand
460:Lower Greensand
418:Salisbury Plain
406:
346:Lymington River
306:
286:Brownsea Island
214:
190:Cranborne Chase
186:Salisbury Plain
170:Old Harry Rocks
142:English Channel
138:
72:Hampshire Basin
17:
12:
11:
5:
895:
885:
884:
879:
874:
869:
854:
853:
830:
810:
790:
770:
742:
715:
695:
670:
668:
665:
664:
663:
655:
652:
609:Forest of Bere
605:Portsdown Hill
564:deposits, the
434:Alpine Orogeny
405:
402:
392:including the
305:
302:
298:Thorney Island
294:Hayling Island
290:Portsea Island
270:Pagham Harbour
218:Wareham Forest
213:
210:
137:
134:
64:Geological map
26:Geological map
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
894:
883:
880:
878:
875:
873:
870:
868:
865:
864:
862:
841:
834:
828:
827:0-14-020185-8
824:
820:
814:
808:
804:
800:
794:
788:
787:0-7518-1256-0
784:
780:
774:
767:
766:0-7518-3089-5
763:
759:
755:
749:
747:
740:
739:0-11-884203-X
736:
732:
728:
722:
720:
713:
712:0-948578-83-1
709:
705:
699:
693:
692:0-12-388950-2
689:
685:
681:
675:
671:
661:
658:
657:
651:
649:
645:
641:
636:
634:
630:
627:and south of
626:
622:
618:
614:
610:
606:
602:
598:
594:
589:
587:
583:
579:
575:
571:
567:
563:
559:
555:
551:
547:
543:
539:
535:
531:
527:
523:
522:Lambeth Group
519:
515:
511:
507:
503:
498:
496:
492:
488:
484:
480:
477:
473:
469:
465:
461:
457:
453:
449:
446:
442:
437:
435:
431:
427:
423:
419:
415:
411:
401:
399:
395:
391:
387:
383:
379:
378:coastal plain
375:
371:
367:
363:
359:
355:
351:
347:
343:
339:
335:
331:
327:
323:
319:
315:
311:
301:
299:
295:
291:
287:
283:
279:
275:
271:
267:
263:
259:
255:
251:
250:Poole Harbour
247:
244:) including
243:
239:
235:
231:
227:
223:
219:
209:
207:
203:
199:
195:
191:
187:
183:
179:
175:
171:
167:
166:Purbeck Hills
163:
159:
155:
151:
147:
143:
133:
131:
127:
124:
120:
116:
112:
108:
104:
100:
96:
95:Isle of Wight
92:
88:
84:
80:
77:
73:
65:
61:
54:
50:
46:
42:
39:
34:
27:
23:
19:
844:. Retrieved
833:
818:
813:
798:
793:
778:
773:
753:
726:
703:
698:
679:
674:
637:
613:Bognor Regis
590:
499:
472:Great Oolite
438:
407:
322:last ice age
307:
215:
139:
107:London Basin
71:
69:
41:London Basin
18:
660:Poole Basin
570:Bracklesham
534:London Clay
528:Beds') and
487:Hauterivian
374:Eastern Yar
366:Western Yar
318:tributaries
234:Southampton
230:Bournemouth
206:Poole Basin
182:South Downs
174:The Needles
154:Beachy Head
105:. Like the
861:Categories
667:References
640:deposition
625:Chichester
601:Portsmouth
582:New Forest
550:Chichester
510:Palaeocene
502:Palaeogene
483:Weald Clay
452:Palaeozoic
445:Wytch Farm
422:Winchester
384:via small
326:sea levels
246:The Solent
238:Portsmouth
226:New Forest
202:River Avon
150:Dorchester
130:Cretaceous
83:Palaeogene
76:geological
597:anticline
593:Salisbury
546:Eastleigh
518:Oligocene
512:) age to
506:Thanetian
479:Bathonian
448:oil field
282:Bembridge
212:Geography
194:Salisbury
158:monocline
119:Paleocene
91:Hampshire
38:Paleogene
654:See also
623:through
617:Worthing
554:Worthing
538:Studland
532:Group ('
514:Rupelian
476:Jurassic
456:Mesozoic
410:syncline
382:harbours
330:mainland
304:Drainage
274:Yarmouth
224:and the
846:4 March
633:Lancing
629:Arundel
566:Bagshot
526:Reading
474:(Early
426:Newport
404:Geology
386:streams
85:age in
825:
805:
785:
764:
737:
710:
690:
621:Havant
586:Eocene
574:Barton
562:Eocene
542:Romsey
530:Thames
468:eroded
464:Aptian
441:faults
370:Medina
362:Hamble
354:Itchen
334:Piddle
160:, the
146:Dieppe
136:Extent
103:Sussex
101:, and
99:Dorset
93:, the
595:. An
481:) to
430:rocks
390:Weald
338:Stour
314:Frome
310:river
278:Cowes
132:age.
126:hills
123:chalk
115:clays
111:sands
79:basin
74:is a
45:Weald
848:2008
823:ISBN
803:ISBN
783:ISBN
762:ISBN
735:ISBN
731:HMSO
708:ISBN
688:ISBN
615:and
572:and
556:and
454:and
398:Adur
396:and
394:Arun
372:and
358:Meon
350:Test
342:Avon
340:and
296:and
280:and
242:rias
236:and
222:Arne
196:and
188:and
178:Bray
113:and
70:The
414:dip
172:to
128:of
117:of
81:of
863::
760:,
745:^
733:,
718:^
682:,
635:.
588:.
568:,
552:,
524:('
436:.
400:.
368:,
364:,
360:,
356:,
352:,
348:,
300:.
292:,
288:,
276:,
272:,
268:,
264:,
260:,
256:,
252:,
248:,
232:,
220:,
208:.
184:,
97:,
850:.
768:.
516:(
508:(
462:(
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