The sedimentary basins of Britain and Ireland are numerous, occurring beneath both the land surface of these islands and the surrounding seas. Sedimentary basins (not to be confused with drainage basins) have operated in this region over much of geological time from the Precambrian to the present day, typically accepting sediment from neighbouring areas where erosion is taking place, over timescales variously from millions to hundreds of millions of years. They may be referred to simply as basins or else as troughs, grabens or half-grabens, according to their mode of formation and morphology.
Key to table
Column 1 indicates the name of the basin. Some variant names are recorded between sources. Sub-basins are noted. Column 2 indicates the area (country/sea) in which the basin occurs. Some extend across more than one. Sea areas include the Atlantic Ocean, North Sea, English Channel, Sea of the Hebrides, Irish Sea, Celtic Sea, Bristol Channel, The Minch Column 3 indicates the period(s) or epoch(s) during which it was active as a sediment sink. May not be exhaustive. Column 4 provides any additional notes Column 5 indicates a selection of publications in which references to the basin may be found. See references section for full details of publication.
+Sortable table of sedimentary basinsBasin name Country/seaPeriod activeNotesReference/sAnglian BasinAnglo-Dutch BasinNorth SeaBGS TmAnglo-Welsh BasinWales, EnglandDevonianArfon BasinWalesB&R36-7Ayrshire BasinScotlandBadbea BasinScotlandDevonianT229Banff Sub-basinNorth SeaBGS TmBlackstones BasinSea of the HebridesOligoceneT370Bovey BasinEnglandB&RBowland BasinEnglandCarboniferousBratch GrabenEnglandPermian, TriassicBristol Channel BasinBristol Channel, England, WalesBGS TmCanna BasinSea of the HebridesBGS TmCardigan Bay BasinIrish SeaBGS TmCardington Sub-basinB&R54Carlisle BasinEngland, ScotlandB&RCeltic Sea BasinCeltic SeaB&RCentral Coalfield BasinScotlandCarboniferousCentral English Channel BasinEnglish ChannelBGS TmCentral Irish Sea BasinIrish SeaBGS TmCentral North Sea BasinNorth SeaCarboniferousT259Central Pennine BasinEnglandB&RCentral Viking GrabenNorth SeaBGS TmCheshire BasinEnglandPermian, Triassic, JurassicBGS TmClare BasinAtlantic Ocean, IrelandBGS TmCleaver Bank BasinB&R390Cleveland BasinEngland, North SeaCarboniferous, Jurassic, CretaceousBGS TmClyde BasinScotlandPermianT317Cockburn BasinCeltic SeaBGS TmColl BasinSea of the HebridesBGS TmColonsay BasinSea of the HebridesBGS TmCorrieyairack BasinScotlandNeoproterozoicT97,99Craighead BasinScotlandOrdovicianT156Craven BasinEnglandCrediton TroughEnglandBGS Tm, B&R290Cressage Sub-basinEnglandB&R54Cromdale BasinNeoproterozoicT97,99Culm TroughEnglandDalry BasinScotlandCarboniferousT273Denbigh TroughWalesB&RDonegal BasinAtlantic OceanBGS TmDorset Sub-basinEnglandBGS TmDouglas BasinDumfries BasinScotlandPermianT316-7Dutch Bank BasinNorth SeaBGS TmEast Central GrabenNorth SeaBGS TmEast Fair Isle BasinNorth SeaEast Irish Sea BasinIrish SeaBGS TmEast Orkney BasinNorth SeaBGS TmEast Shetland BasinNorth SeaBGS TmEast Solan BasinTriassicBGS Tm, T321Edale BasinEnglandEdale Gulf on BGS TmBGS TmErris BasinAtlantic OceanBGS TmFaroe-Shetland BasinAtlantic OceanCretaceous, Palaeogene, NeogeneBGS Tm, T363-4Fastnet BasinCeltic SeaBGS TmFetlar BasinNorth SeaBGS TmFife BasinFisher Bank BasinNorth SeaBGS TmFishguard-Cardigan TroughWalesB&R65Flannan TroughAtlantic OceanBGS TmFlett Sub-basinAtlantic OceanBGS TmFlimston BasinB&R425Forth Approaches BasinNorth SeaBGS TmGainsborough TroughEnglandBGS TmGramscatho BasinEnglandB&RHaig Fras BasinCeltic SeaBGS TmHampshire BasinEngland, English ChannelPaleogeneHarrogate BasinEnglandB&RHatton BasinHinckley BasinEnglandPermian, TriassicInner Hebrides TroughScotlandInner Moray Firth BasinMoray FirthBGS TmIrish Sea BasinIrish SeaB&R464Isle of Wight BasinEnglandB&R318Kincardine BasinScotlandCarboniferousT274Kish Bank BasinIrish SeaBGS TmKnowle BasinEnglandPermian, TriassicLake District BasinEnglandLakesman BasinEngland, Irish SeaB&RLeinster-Lakesman BasinEngland, Ireland, Irish SeaB&R26-8Lancaster Fells BasinEnglandLeinster BasinIrelandLeven BasinScotlandCarboniferousT287Little Minch TroughThe MinchCarboniferous, Permian, TriassicBGS Tm, T258Loch Indaal BasinScotlandPermian, TriassicBGS Tm, T318Lochmaben BasinScotlandPermianT316-7London BasinEnglandPaleogeneLooe BasinEnglandB&R248Magnus Half-grabenAtlantic OceanBGS TmMagnus TroughAtlantic OceanBGS TmMalin BasinSea of the HebridesBGS TmMauchline BasinScotlandPermianT317Mell Fell TroughEnglandB&R171Melville BasinCeltic SeaBGS TmMidland Valley Graben / Midland Valley BasinScotlandBGS TmMidlothian BasinScotlandMoffat BasinScotlandPermianT316-7Montgomery TroughWales, EnglandB&R101Muirkirk BasinMunster BasinIrelandBGS TmNeedwood BasinEnglandPermian, TriassicNorth Celtic Sea BasinCeltic SeaBGS TmNorth Channel Basin / Portpatrick BasinIrish SeaPermianBGS Tm, T317North Lewis BasinAtlantic OceanBGS TmNorth Minch BasinThe MinchBGS TmNorthern Rockall TroughAtlantic OceanNorth Rona BasinAtlantic OceanBGS TmNorth Sea BasinNorth SeaCretaceous, Palaeogene, NeogeneBGS Tm, T363-4North Staffordshire BasinEnglandNorthumberland-Solway BasinEngland, Scotland, Irish SeaNorthumberland TroughEngland, North SeaCarboniferousBGS TmNorth Viking GrabenNorth SeaBGS TmOldhamstocks Basin / Oldhamstocks-Dunbar BasinScotlandCarboniferousT253,265Orcadian BasinScotlandDevonian Papa BasinAtlantic OceanBGS TmPeel BasinIrish SeaBGS TmPennine BasinEnglandB&RPetrockstow BasinEnglandB&R425,427Pewsey Sub-basinEnglandBGS TmPlymouth Bay BasinEnglish ChannelBGS TmPorcupine Trough, Porcupine BasinAtlantic OceanTriassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous, CenozoicBGS Tm, T338Portland-Wight Basin / Sub-basinEnglish ChannelBGS TmRathlin TroughNorthern Ireland, Malin SeaTriassicBGS Tm, T318Rhynie BasinScotlandDevoniansee Rhynie ChertBGS Tm, T226-7Rockall Basin / Rockall TroughAtlantic OceanBGS TmSt George's Channel BasinIrish SeaBGS TmSt Mary's BasinEnglish ChannelBGS TmSandbach-Knutsford Sub-basinEnglandPermian, TriassicSandwick BasinAtlantic OceanBGS TmScarvister Sub-basinAtlantic OceanBGS TmSea of the Hebrides TroughSea of the HebridesBGS TmSevern Coal BasinEnglandB&R221Shelve Sub-basinEnglandB&RSlyne Trough / Slyne-Erris TroughAtlantic OceanJurassicBGS Tm, T338Sole Pit TroughNorth SeaBGS TmSolway Basin / Solway FirthIrish SeaPermian, TriassicBGS Tm, T317South Celtic Sea BasinCeltic SeaBGS TmSouth Devon BasinEnglandB&RSouth Wales BasinWalesB&RSouth West Arran TroughScotlandPermianT316South West England Half-grabenEnglandB&R292Stafford BasinEnglandPermian, TriassicStainmore Trough / Stainmore BasinEnglandBGS TmStanley Bank BasinBristol ChannelB&R, 425Stanton TroughSea of the HebridesBGS TmStirling-Clackmannan BasinScotlandStranraer BasinScotlandPermianT317Strathtummel BasinScotlandNeoproterozoicT99Thornhill BasinScotlandPermianT316-7Tiverton TroughEnglandB&R290Torridonian BasinScotland, The MinchProterozoicBGS Tm, T71Turriff Basin ScotlandDevonianT216,228Tweed BasinNorth SeaCarboniferousBGS Tm, T265Ulster BasinNorthern IrelandBGS TmUnst BasinNorth Seatwo arms; NW and SBGS TmUsk Sub-basinWalesB&RVale of ClwydWalesVale of Eden BasinEnglandB&RWeald BasinEnglandWeald Sub-basinEnglandBGS TmWelsh BasinWalesB&RWem-Audlem Sub-basinEnglandPermian, Triassic, JurassicWessex BasinEnglandBGS TmWest Central GrabenNorth SeaBGS TmWest Fair Isle BasinNorth SeaDevonianBGS Tm, T240West Flannan BasinAtlantic OceanBGS TmWest Lewis BasinAtlantic OceanJurassicBGS Tm, T341West Lothian BasinScotlandCarboniferousT262,264West Orkney Basin ComplexAtlantic OceanBGS TmWest Shetland BasinAtlantic OceanDevonianBGS Tm, T239Western Approaches TroughEnglish ChannelBGS TmWidmerpool GulfEnglandBGS Tm,B&RWidmerpool Half-grabenEnglandB&R196Widnes BasinEnglandWitch Ground GrabenNorth SeaBGS TmWoolhope BasinEnglandB&RWorcester Graben / Worcester BasinEnglandPermian, TriassicB&R
See also Geological structure of Great Britain Gravity anomalies of Britain and Ireland
References BGS Tm = BGS 1996 Tectonic map of Britain, Ireland and adjacent areas, Pharaoh T.C., Morris J.H., Long C.B., Ryan P.D. (compilers) 1:1,500,000 (Keyworth, Nottingham, British Geological Survey) Txxx = Trewin, N.H. (editor) 2002 The Geology of Scotland 4th edition The Geological Society, London (where xxx = page number) B&Rxxx = Brenchley, P.J & Rawson, P.F. (editors) 2006 The Geology of England and Wales 2nd edition, The Geological Society, London (where xxx = page number)