Geography of England - Geology

Geology

The Geology of England is mainly sedimentary. The youngest rocks are in the south east, progressing in age in a north-westerly direction. The Tees-Exe line marks the division between younger, softer and low-lying rocks in the south east and older, harder, and generally a higher relief in the north-west. The geology of England is recognisable in the landscape of its counties, for instance Cumbria, Kent and Norfolk all have very distinct and very different looks from each other. The geology of Northern England and Western England tends to be somewhat closer to that of its near neighbours, Wales and Scotland, with the geology of Southern England and Eastern England being more aligned with that found across the North Sea and English Channel in Northern France, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

Geological features:

• Cheddar Gorge - the largest gorge in Great Britain
• Jurassic Coast - a UNESCO World Heritage Site
• Salisbury Plain
• Tees-Exe line
• Whin Sill
• London Basin
• Hampshire Basin
• London-Brabant Massif
• Dartmoor - one of a series of moors in the South West of England developing tors on a granitic batholith
• Lizard Complex - an ancient piece of oceanic crust, onshore (i.e. an Ophiolite).

Geological resources:

• Coal
• North Sea oil
• Sand and Gravel
• China Clay
• Copper and Tin
• Stone

• North Sea gas

and less abundantly,

• Geothermal energy
• Onshore oil