page_title: Wessex Basin
hierarchical_section_title: Wessex Basin
caption_attribution_description: English: Lithostratigraphy of the Wessex Basin, modified after Worden et al. 2016, with additional information from the BGS lexicon of named rock units
context_page_description: The Wessex Basin is a petroliferous geological area located along the southern coast of England and extending into the English Channel. The onshore part of the basin covers approximately 20,000 km² and the area that encompasses the English Channel is of similar size. The basin is a rift basin that was created during the Permian to early Cretaceous in response to movement of the African plate relative to the Eurasian plate. In the late Cretaceous, and again in the Cenozoic, the basin was inverted as a distant effect of the Alpine orogeny. The basin is usually divided into 3 main sub-basins including the Winterborne-Kingston Trough, Channel Basin, and Vale of Pewsey Basin. The area is also rich in hydrocarbons with several offshore wells in the area. With the large interest in the hydrocarbon exploration of the area, data became more readily available, which improved the understanding of the type of inversion tectonics that characterize this basin.
context_section_description: The Wessex Basin is a petroliferous geological area located along the southern coast of England and extending into the English Channel. The onshore part of the basin covers approximately 20,000 km² and the area that encompasses the English Channel is of similar size. The basin is a rift basin that was created during the Permian to early Cretaceous in response to movement of the African plate relative to the Eurasian plate. In the late Cretaceous, and again in the Cenozoic, the basin was inverted as a distant effect of the Alpine orogeny. The basin is usually divided into 3 main sub-basins including the Winterborne-Kingston Trough, Channel Basin, and Vale of Pewsey Basin. The area is also rich in hydrocarbons with several offshore wells in the area. With the large interest in the hydrocarbon exploration of the area, data became more readily available, which improved the understanding of the type of inversion tectonics that characterize this basin.
caption: Lithostratigraphy of the Wessex Basin
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