Weald–Artois Anticline: Difference between revisions
England - the English section is the western, not eastern, part of the Weald-Artois Anticline |
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The Strait of Dover is geologically speaking a very young feature, which cuts through the much older Weald–Artois Anticline. The anticline continues uninterrupted in the subsurface of the Strait of Dover and English Channel. |
The Strait of Dover is geologically speaking a very young feature, which cuts through the much older Weald–Artois Anticline. The anticline continues uninterrupted in the subsurface of the Strait of Dover and English Channel. |
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Gupta et al argue that the anticline was destroyed by two megafloods caused by the breaching of [[proglacial lake]]s. The first occurred around 450,000 years ago during the [[Anglian Glaciation]] ([[Marine isotope stage|MIS]] 12}. It did not fully destroy the anticline although there was sporadic connection between the English Channel and the North Sea during periods of high sea level. The second megaflood occurred around 160,000 years ago during the [[Wolstonian Stage|Wolstonian]]/[[Saale glaciation|Saalian]] glaciation (MIS 6), after which Britain would be an island during periods of high sea level.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms15101.pdf?origin=ppub|journal=Nature Communications|last=Gupta|first= Sanjeev||display-authors=etal|title=Two-stage opening of the Dover Strait and theorigin of island Britain|date=4 April 2017}}</ref> |
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During the [[Pleistocene]] an ice sheet blocked the flow of rivers including the [[Thames]] and [[Rhine]] to the [[North Sea]], resulting in a large [[proglacial lake]] to the northeast of the ridge. To the southwest, low-lying land connected the island that is now [[Great Britain]] to continental [[Europe]]. Two overtoppings of this ridge severed this peninsular connection. |
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* The first [[glacial lake outburst flood]] occurred during the later part of the [[Anglian glaciation]], approximately 425,000 years ago, resulting in a waterfall of up to a million cubic meters per second that gouged out the [[Straits of Dover]] and caused much sudden outwash flood scouring (as shown by [[braided channel]]s and diamond-shaped islands in sonar surveys) in low-lying land where the [[English Channel]] is now. |
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* The second, which may have been larger than the first, occurred approximately 225,000 years ago and finally severed the slender peninsula.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nature.com/news/2007/070716/full/070716-11.html |title=The megaflood that made Britain an island |author=Schiermeier, Quirin |work=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]] |date=2007-07-18|accessdate=2008-01-31}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn12289-dambusting-megaflood-made-britain-an-island.html |title=Dam-busting "megaflood" made Britain an island |date=2007-07-18 |author=Marks, Paul|work=[[New Scientist]]|accessdate=2008-01-31}}</ref> |
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During the most recent [[Last glacial period|glacial period]], lowering of sea levels joined the British Isles once more to the continental mainland of [[Europe]]. |
During the most recent [[Last glacial period|glacial period]], lowering of sea levels joined the British Isles once more to the continental mainland of [[Europe]]. |
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Revision as of 11:32, 3 October 2019
The Weald–Artois anticline is a large anticline, a geological structure running between the regions of the Weald in southern England and Artois in northern France. The fold formed during the Alpine orogeny, from the late Oligocene to middle Miocene as an uplifted form of the Weald basin through inversion of the basin. The folding resulted in uplift of about 180 metres (590 ft),[1] though concurrent erosion may have substantially reduced the actual height of the resulting chalk ridges.
As is the case with all anticlines, older rock strata are found in the core of the structure. These are in this case Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous strata. The western part of the ridge (the Weald of Kent, Sussex and Surrey in England) has been greatly eroded, with the presumed chalk surface removed to expose older, Lower Cretaceous rocks (Wealden Group) and a small area of Upper Jurassic Purbeck Beds.[2] On the French side of the English Channel more Upper Jurassic rocks crop out in a small area around Boulogne-sur-Mer and Desvres.[3] At the flanks of the anticline outcrops of the (younger) Upper Cretaceous Chalk occur. The chalk survives as a rim of inward-facing escarpments, forming the North Downs and South Downs. The Chalk forms characteristic white cliffs on both sides of the English Channel, an example being the white cliffs of Dover.
Formation of the Strait of Dover
The Strait of Dover is geologically speaking a very young feature, which cuts through the much older Weald–Artois Anticline. The anticline continues uninterrupted in the subsurface of the Strait of Dover and English Channel.
Gupta et al argue that the anticline was destroyed by two megafloods caused by the breaching of proglacial lakes. The first occurred around 450,000 years ago during the Anglian Glaciation (MIS 12}. It did not fully destroy the anticline although there was sporadic connection between the English Channel and the North Sea during periods of high sea level. The second megaflood occurred around 160,000 years ago during the Wolstonian/Saalian glaciation (MIS 6), after which Britain would be an island during periods of high sea level.[4]
During the most recent glacial period, lowering of sea levels joined the British Isles once more to the continental mainland of Europe.
References
- ^ Tertiary Rivers: Neogene (Miocene and Pliocene), Cambridge Quaternary, Cambridge University
- ^ Gallois R.W. & Edmunds M.A. (4th Ed 1965), The Wealden District, British Regional Geology series, British Geological Survey, ISBN 0-11-884078-9
- ^ Carte Géologique de la France, BRGM, Orléans
- ^ Gupta, Sanjeev; et al. (4 April 2017). "Two-stage opening of the Dover Strait and theorigin of island Britain" (PDF). Nature Communications.
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