An exhumed Jurassic meander belt from Yorkshire, England

Abstract

SummaryThree-dimensional coastal exposures of the Middle Jurassic (Bathonian) Scalby Formation in Yorkshire, England, exhibit a complex, exhumed meander belt. The lateral accretion surfaces (epsilon-cross stratification) of individual meander loops are described. Field and aerial photograph measurements of accretion-surface dimensions have enabled direct determination of channel bankful depths and widths and meander wavelengths. Values for mean annual discharge of the channel system are derived using existing empirical equations. Palaeocurrents measured in the meander belt sandstones show a wide dispersal due to many periods of meander migration and cut off.