Teign Valley Group Explained

Teign Valley Group
Type:Group
Age:Famennian (Devonian) to Marsdenian (Carboniferous)
Period:Paleozoic
Prilithology:mudstones,
Otherlithology:cherts, sandstones, limestones, basaltic lavas, tuffs
Namedfor:valley of River Teign
Region:England
Country:United Kingdom
Unitof:Culm Supergroup
Subunits:Barras Nose Formation, Trambley Cove Formation, Teign Chert Formation, Dowhills Mudstone Formation, Boscastle Formation, Brendon Formation, St Mellion Formation
Underlies:Holsworthy Group
Overlies:Exmoor Group
Thickness:100 to 720m
Extent:north Cornwall through Devon to west Somerset

The Teign Valley Group is a late Devonian to late/middle Carboniferous lithostratigraphic group (a sequence of rock strata) in north Cornwall through Devon and into west Somerset in southwest England. The name is derived from the valley of the River Teign. The Group comprises (in ascending order i.e. oldest first) the Barras Nose, Trambley Cove, Teign Chert and Dowhills Mudstone formations. It also includes the Brendon and St Mellion formations whose stratigraphical context is unclear since all known boundaries of these two unit are tectonic. The Brendon Formation slates extend from Tavistock west to Bodmin Moor.[1] [2] The St Mellion Formation sandstones, siltstones and mudstones are found from Holne northeastwards.[3] The Teign Valley Group was formerly known as the Lower Culm Group or Lower Culm Measures.[4]

Notes and References

  1. British Geological Survey 1993 Tavistock, England and Wales sheet 337 Solid & Drift geology 1:50,000 provisional series (Keyworth, Nottingham: BGS)
  2. Web site: BGS Lexicon of Named Rock Units - Result Details.
  3. http://mapapps.bgs.ac.uk/geologyofbritain/home.html BGS map viewer
  4. http://www.bgs.ac.uk/Lexicon/lexicon.cfm?pub=TEVY (BGS on-line lexicon of rock units)