Northern Province Chalk nomenclature - Rowe Chalk Formation

Name

The Rowe Formation was first proposed by Lott and Knox (1994) for flint bearing chalks above the Flamborough Chalk Formation offshore. This term was adopted in Sumbler (1999) and is modified herein to Rowe Chalk Formation.

Type section

Borehole 49/24-1, 635 m to 840 m depth (Offshore, southern North Sea; see Lott and Knox, (1994).

Reference Section

Atwick No 2 (1973) borehole (TA 15 SE/9) [TA 1835 5171], c. 41 m to c. 122 m.

Formal subdivision

None

Lithology

White, flint-bearing chalk with sporadic marl bands.

Definition of upper boundary

Unconformably overlain by Quaternary deposits onshore: offshore apparently conformably succeeded by Palaeogene deposits (Lott and Knox, 1994).

Definition of lower boundary

Basal flint band of thick unit of flint bearing chalk above thick flint-free unit of Flamborough Formation; recognised on the basis of downhole geophysical logs.

Thickness

About 80 m preserved onshore; up to c. 380 m offshore.

Previous names

Not previously named onshore, thus implicitly included in Flamborough Formation.

Parent

Chalk Group

Age and biostratigraphy

Upper Cretaceous, Campanian (Belemnitella mucronata Zone) onshore, extending into Maastrichtian offshore.

References

Sumbler (1996, 1999); Lott and Knox (1994).