The Welton Formation (Chalk Group) at Speeton, NE England: implications for the late Cretaceous evolution of the Market Weighton Structure

The stratigraphy of the Welton Formation (Chalk Group, Upper Cretaceous) at Speeton, NE England, is described for the first time. The marker horizons of the standard succession on the East Midlands Shelf are clearly recogniza ble at Speeton and demonstrate that the succession is of comparative thickn ess to that developed on the East Midlands Shelf. The succession is divided into three: the Flixton, Buckton and Bempton members, which can be traced throughout NE England. Considerations of changes in the rates of sedimentat ion between the East Midlands Shelf, Market Weighton Structure and Clevelan d Basin suggest that the Market Weighton Structure, which had dominated sed imentation styles throughout the Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous, had ceased to be an influence on sedimentation rates during the late Cretaceous.