MARINE BANDS PROVED IN THE NEW BORINGS AT WENTBRIDGE AND DARRINGTON, YORKSHIRE

Abstract

Read, November, 1951 Introduction. In 1906 a boring was put down about a mile east of the village of Wentbridge in search of coal. This boring started in the Lower Magnesian Limestone, entered the Coal Measures at 35 feet, and was abandoned at a depth of 990 feet after a number of coal seams had been proved, only two of which were of two feet of more in thickness (Mid. Inst. Min. Eng. 1927, pp. 365, 366). The cores from the boring were examined by E. L. Hummel and P. F. Kendall, and marine bands were proved at 220 feet, 347 feet and 895 feet. All three bands contained a varied fauna, including goniatites (Edwards and others 1940, pp. 105–108). At that time, little was known of either the distribution or the value of marine bands, so that it was only recently that an interpretation of the borehole was made. During the sinking of Upton Colliery shafts (See Fig. 1), the Shafton Marine Band was proved at 852 feet and the Mansfield Marine Band at 1380 feet (Wilson and Wray 1928, p. 6), and no other marine bands were identified. In the light of this information it was assumed that the band at 895 feet at Wentbridge was the Mansfield Marine Band, and that at 347 feet the Shafton Marine Band, whilst that at 220 feet was an additional marine band unknown throughout the Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Coalfield.2 In the first Darrington borehole only the Mansfield Marine Band ...