Why an atlas of the Carboniferous in northern England? There can hardly be a more researched system in the whole of the British Isles, given its widespread distribution at outcrop and annual appearance in numerous PhD theses (including our own). But perhaps all we really know about the Carboniferous is no more than skimming the surface. In this atlas, using modern multifold seismic and borehole data collected by the oil industry in its search for petroleum accumulations, we can start to look beyond the surface exposures and gain some new insights into the structure and stratigraphy of the subsurface (and surface) Carboniferous. The main elements of this atlas are: (i) a series of regional seismic lines crossing all the basinal areas in northern England illustrating the Carboniferous in section, and (ii) a set of palaeofacies maps describing the evolution of the system in map view.

In 2001 the Dorset and east Devon Coast was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as a place of outstanding universal value on the basis of its geological succession, coastal processes and landforms and its place in the history of the development of geology (especially stratigraphy and palaeontology). Extending from Orcombe Point in the west to Studland in the east, this World Heritage Site's 85 miles of coastline contains a record of 185 million years of Earth history. At the time of the proposal being submitted to UNESCO there were discussions about whether the planned site could be extended westwards to Torquay, covering the Permian and the Devonian rocks of Teignmouth, Dawlish and Torquay or eastwards to include the Isle of Wight. For various reasons (mostly non-geological) it was decided not to expand the proposed site further, although the Isle of Wight would have been the natural extension of the site, including more of the Cretaceous succession as well as the marine Cenozoic succession of the Hampshire Basin. This excursion is, in reality, looking at what the expanded site would have included.

In 2001 the Dorset and East Devon Coast was inscribed on the World Heritage List as a place of outstanding universal value on the basis of its geological succession, coastal processes and landforms and its place in the history of the development of geology (especially stratigraphy and palaeontology). Extending from Orcombe Point in the west to Studland in the east, this World Heritage Site's 85 miles of coastline contains a record of 185 million years of Earth history. <...>