Bacton Group Explained

Bacton Group
Type:Group
Age:Early Triassic epoch
Prilithology:mudstones
Otherlithology:dolomitic sandstone
Namedfor:Bacton
Namedby:Rhys, G.H.[1]
Region:North Sea
Country:England
Subunits:Bunter Shale Formation, Bunter Sandstone Formation
Underlies:Haisborough Group
Overlies:Zechstein Group
Thickness:up to 600m[2]

The Bacton Group is a Triassic lithostratigraphic group (a sequence of rock strata) beneath the southern part of the North Sea. The name is derived from Bacton on the Norfolk coast. These strata, which are up to 600 m thick are the offshore equivalent of the Roxby Formation and Sherwood Sandstone Group which occur in northeast England. The group comprises a lower Bunter Shale Formation of red and brown to grey mudstones and an upper Bunter Sandstone Formation of dolomitic sandstones with mudstone interlayers.[3]

Notes and References

  1. Rhys, G H. 1974. A proposed standard lithostratigraphic nomenclature for the Southern North Sea and an outline structural nomenclature for the whole of the (UK) North Sea. Institute of Geological Sciences, Report No.74/8.
  2. Johnson, H, Warrington, G and Stoker, S J. 1994. Permian and Triassic of the Southern North Sea. In Knox, R W O'B and Cordey, W G (eds), Lithostratigraphic nomenclature of the UK North Sea. Nottingham: British Geological Survey.
  3. http://www.bgs.ac.uk/Lexicon/lexicon.cfm?pub=BACT (BGS on-line lexicon of rock units)