The BGS Lexicon of Named Rock Units — Result Details

Bathampton Down Member

Computer Code: BDW Preferred Map Code: BD
Status Code: Full
Age range: Pleistocene Epoch (QP) — Pleistocene Epoch (QP)
Lithological Description: Gravelly sandy clay or clayey sandy gravel, with flint, quartz, chert (Lower Cretaceous and Carboniferous), limestone (Jurassic and Carboniferous) and other exotic pebbles. May be crudely stratified.
Definition of Lower Boundary: Rests unconformably on formations of the Middle Jurassic Great Oolite Group, in places in hollows above, or within fissures or cavities in Great Oolite Group limestone formations.
Definition of Upper Boundary: Generally at surface. Cavity fills (effectively speleothems) may be apparently overlain by bedrock (see Donovan, 1995).
Thickness: Mapped deposits very thin - less than 2m. Thickness of fissure fills unknown but may be up to at least 1.8m.
Geographical Limits: Plateau areas around 130 to 200m above OD to the south and east of Bath city, Somerset, including around Bath University, Claverton Down, at Limpley Stoke and at Farleigh Down. A poorly located occurrence at Kingsdown. See Donovan, 1995.
Parent Unit: Kenn Formation (KNN)
Previous Name(s): Head (HEAD)
Sand and gravel of unknown age [Obsolete Name and Code: Use SGAO] (SGU)
Head (HEAD)
Sand and gravel of unknown age [Obsolete Name and Code: Use SGAO] (SGU)
Alternative Name(s): none recorded or not applicable
Stratotypes:
Type Section  Bath University approach road. Fissure fills visible within Chalfield Oolite Formation strata in west wall of cutting. Hawkins and Kellaway, 1971. 
Type Area  Bathampton Down. Various occurrences in pockets and fissure fills described by Donovan, 1995. 
Reference(s):
Hawkins, A B, and Kellaway, G A. 1971. Field Meeting at Bristol and Bath with special reference to new evidence of glaciation. Proceedings of the Geologists' Association, Vol.82, 267-291. 
Hunt, C O. 1998. The Quaternary history of the Avon valley and Bristol district. Chapter 10 in Quaternary of south-west England. Campbell, S, Hunt, C O, Scourse, J D, Keen, D H, and Stephens, N (editors). Geological Conservation Review Series. No.14. (Peterborough: Joint Nature Conservation Committee/Chapman and Hall.) 
Donovan, D T. 1995. High level drift deposits east of Bath. Proceedings of the University of Bristol Spelaeological Society, Vol. 20, 109-126. 
Campbell, S, Hunt, C O, Scourse, J D, Keen, D H and Croot, D G. 1999. Southwest England. 66-78 in Bowen, D Q (Editor), A revised correlation of Quaternary deposits in the British Isles. Geological Society Special Report No.23. [London: Geological Society.] 
1:50K maps on which the lithostratigraphical unit is found, and map code used:
E265 E281