The geology of Berwick-upon-Tweed and Scremerston, Northumberland

Abstract

The geology of the far north of the Northumberland coast is mapped and studied in the field to compile a complete geological history. Yoredale cyclothems typical of the Lower Carboniferous of northern Britain are recognised, caused by a periodically abandoned large Mississippi-type fluvially-dominated delta prograding over a carbonate ramp in a subsiding regional setting. Two periods of tectonic activity account for east-west shortening structures and northeast-southwest extensional structures, forming the complex and spectacular folding and faulting at Bucket Rocks and Saltpan Rocks.