The Coal Measures Group is a lithostratigraphical

term Term may refer to: * Terminology, or term, a noun or compound word used in a specific context, in particular: **Technical term, part of the specialized vocabulary of a particular field, specifically: ***Scientific terminology, terms used by scient ...

coined to refer to the

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when ...

-bearing succession of rock strata which occur in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

within the Westphalian

Stage Stage or stages may refer to: Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly British theatre newspaper * Sta ...

of the Carboniferous

Period Period may refer to: Common uses * Era, a length or span of time * Full stop (or period), a punctuation mark Arts, entertainment, and media * Period (music), a concept in musical composition * Periodic sentence (or rhetorical period), a concept ...

. Other than in

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the term is now obsolete in formal use and is replaced by the

Pennine Coal Measures Group The Pennine Coal Measures Group is a lithostratigraphical term referring to the coal-bearing succession of rock strata which occur in the United Kingdom within the Westphalian Stage of the Carboniferous Period. In formal use, the term replaces ...

, Scottish Coal Measures Group and the South Wales Coal Measures Group for the three distinct depositional provinces of the

British mainland Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

Pennine Coal Measures Group

Within the Pennine Basin the Pennine Coal Measures Group is preceded (underlain) by the Millstone Grit Group which is of

Namurian The Namurian is a stage in the regional stratigraphy of northwest Europe with an age between roughly 326 and 313 Ma (million years ago). It is a subdivision of the Carboniferous system or period and the regional Silesian series. The Namurian ...

age. It is succeeded (overlain) by the Warwickshire Group which comprises a largely non-productive sequence of red beds. It comprises the: :* Pennine Upper Coal Measures Formation :* Pennine Middle Coal Measures Formation :* Pennine Lower Coal Measures Formation The 'Pennine Basin' includes all of the

coalfield A coalfield is an area of certain uniform characteristics where coal is mined. The criteria for determining the approximate boundary of a coalfield are geographical and cultural, in addition to geological. A coalfield often groups the seams of ...

s of northern England and the

English Midlands The Midlands (also referred to as Central England) are a part of England that broadly correspond to the Kingdom of Mercia of the Early Middle Ages, bordered by Wales, Northern England and Southern England. The Midlands were important in the Ind ...

together with the Canonbie Coalfield of southern Scotland and the coalfields of northeast Wales and

Anglesey Anglesey (; cy, (Ynys) Môn ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms a principal area known as the Isle of Anglesey, that includes Holy Island across the narrow Cymyran Strait and some islets and skerries. Anglesey island ...

Scottish Coal Measures Group

A similar scheme operates in the Midland Valley Basin of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

South Wales Coal Measures Group

In those coalfields to the south of the former Wales-Brabant High i.e. the South Wales,

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

Forest of Dean The Forest of Dean is a geographical, historical and cultural region in the western part of the county of Gloucestershire, England. It forms a roughly triangular plateau bounded by the River Wye to the west and northwest, Herefordshire to ...

and concealed Oxfordshire and

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

coalfields, the corresponding group is the South Wales Coal Measures Group. It comprises the: :* South Wales Upper Coal Measures Formation :* South Wales Middle Coal Measures Formation :* South Wales Lower Coal Measures Formation In South Wales, the larger part of what had been the Upper Coal Measures now forms the Pennant Sandstone Formation in the overlying Warwickshire Group.British Geological Survey 1:625,000 scale geological map ''Bedrock geology: UK South'' (5th edn) BGS, Keyworth, Notts The South Wales Coal Measures Group is preceded (underlain) by the

Marros Group The Marros Group is the name given to a suite of rocks of Namurian age laid down during the Carboniferous Period in South Wales. These rocks were formerly known as the Millstone Grit Series but are now distinguished from the similar but geograph ...

References

Carboniferous United Kingdom Coal in the United Kingdom Geological groups of the United Kingdom Geologic formations of the United Kingdom Carboniferous England Carboniferous Scotland Carboniferous Wales Carboniferous System of Europe Stratigraphy of the United Kingdom {{UK-geologic-formation-stub