Stockbridge Anticline Explained

The Stockbridge Anticline is one of a series of parallel east-west trending folds in the Cretaceous chalk of Hampshire. It lies at the western end of the South Downs, immediately to the north of the Winchester-King's Somborne Syncline and east of Salisbury Plain.

Structure

The anticline axis runs for around 35km (22miles) from around the Wallops, swinging south-south-east through Stockbridge and Crawley, between Micheldever and Kings Worthy, towards Medstead in the east.^{[1] [2]}

Hills include Danebury and Chattis Hill to the west, Stockbridge Down, Woolbury, Chilbolton Down, Windmill Hill (Crawley) and Abbotstone Down.

Parallel folds to the south include the Winchester-East Meon Anticline and the Winchester-King's Somborne Syncline. To the north is the Micheldever Syncline. As with other nearby folds, the structure is controlled by movement of fault blocks within the Jurassic strata below.^[3]

See also

List of geological folds in Great Britain

Notes and References

1. Winchester. British Geological Survey England and Wales. 1:50000. British Geological Survey. 2002. 0-7518-3340-1.
2. Alresford. British Geological Survey England and Wales. 1:50000. British Geological Survey. 1999. 0-7518-3250-2.
3. Book: Booth, K.A.. Geology of the Winchester district - a brief explanation of the geological map. 2002. British Geological Survey. 0-85272-429-2.