Chapter 3 Aspects of the Post-Permian History of the Aseismic Continental Shelf to the West of the British Isles

Abstract

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses several aspects of the post-Permian history of the aseismic continental shelf to the west of the British Isles. The rocks of the Malin Sea demonstrate that the major phase of sediment accumulation, associated with substantial vertical movements, occurred during the Triassic and Lower Jurassic. The structural adjustments are particularly related to the Caledonoid trending master faults, which were responsible for a series of narrow horsts and asymmetric grabens. The latter have been sites of rapid continental-type sedimentation since early Triassic times. The major transgression which introduced marine Liassic rocks to the British Isles is well represented in the Malin Sea. Although a regressive phase developed during the Middle Jurassic, localized warping has ensured preservation of these rocks in addition to much of the subsequent Upper Jurassic. Movements that occurred throughout the Triassic and Lower Jurassic are ascribed to the early Kimmerian phase, which has been widely recognized in the North Sea, the Irish Sea, and Celtic Sea.