Where am I? DCC > ALDERLEY EDGE
> GEOLOGY AND BIOLOGY >
MINERALISATION > CROSS-SECTION OF FAULT ZONE
MINERALISATION IN DETAIL
CROSS-SECTION OF THE FAULT ZONE OF THE EASTERN CHESHIRE BASIN
Fault zone. The diagram above shows the structure of the geology at the
eastern edge of the Cheshire Basin and demonstrates how the faults can provide
potential traps for mineralisation. Potential sources of metals
and sulphur exist in the underlying Carboniferous and
in the basin itself where diagenesis of the Lower
Triassic and Upper Permian sandstones may have
resulted in the release of trace metals into solution.
The traps around the basin margins are topographically
higher than the rich Cl¯ and SO4¯ ¯
source in the form of the evaporites due to basin
inversion during the Tertiary. Work is still going on in this area
and will be shown here when published. (Source: Naylor et al).
 |
Local structure. To the left is an illustration (from Rowe and Burley's
paper) showing the structure of the Alderley Edge Horst block with present
land surface shown as a black line (PSE). Because the uplifted block is
enclosed between two faults, it is known as a Horst (from the German word for an
eyrie). The step up on the left (west) side is visible where the A34
climbs up to White Barn Road and then drops down into the village. The
step up on the right (east) is represented by Castle Rock and Stormy Point. |
Return
to previous page
