The Deep Geology beneath southern England

talk given by Dr. Chris Pullen, Director, CP Exploration

Abstract
An extensive well and seismic database provides an understanding of the Mesozoic and Tertiary evolution of Southern England, but deep Palaeozoic structures remain poorly defined due to limited well penetration and weak seismic imaging below the Triassic.

Removing the gravity effects of post Permian sediments highlights residual anomalies that suggest deeper Palaeozoic architecture. Three major featurese emerge: the Southwest England Anomaly, linked to Variscan right lateral terrane translation; the South Coast Anomaly, interpreted as a thickened Palaeozoic thrust complex; and the Central England Anomaly, where Lower Palaeozoic rocks occur at relatively shallow depths.