The Kimmeridge Clay and underlying strata (Upper Jurassic) at Swindon, Wiltshire

Abstract

A continuously cored borehole at Swindon, Wiltshire, proved a Kimmeridge Clay sequence c. 102m thick. The Lower Kimmeridge Clay ( c. 41 m) can be readily correlated with sequences recorded from elsewhere in southern and eastern England, but the Upper Kimmeridge Clay ( c. 61 m) is largely developed in sandy and silty facies, and detailed correlation is less straightforward. Although once exposed in brickpits and railway cuttings, the Kimmeridge Clay at Swindon is no longer visible, but published descriptions and collected specimens enable comparisons to be made between these former sections and the borehole sequence. The borehole provides the first detailed records of the base of the Kimmeridge Clay and the underlying Ampthill Clay in the Swindon area.