Lithostratigraphy of the Old Red Sandstone successions of the Anglo-Welsh Basin

This report presents a revised lithostratigraphy of the Old Red Sandstone of the Anglo-Welsh Basin, prepared under the auspices of the British Geological Survey (BGS) Stratigraphical Framework Committee (SFC). The report provides a correlation of the successions in different parts of the basin and rationalises group and formation nomenclature for the outcrops of Old Red Sandstone in England and Wales. It is based on a previous discussion document (Barclay, unpublished MS, 2007) which presented options in a three-step approach towards rationalisation to a proposed single, standard scheme that can be applied to most of the Pridoli–Lochkovian succession (lower part of the Lower Old Red Sandstone) of the Anglo-Welsh Basin. The earlier discussion document was circulated among geologists with expertise in the Old Red Sandstone of the Anglo-Welsh Basin in and outside the British Geological Survey. This version takes account of the suggestions for improvement and comments made during the consultation process. One significant change from previous classifications concerns the base of the Old Red Sandstone. There is a consensus that this should be placed at the base of the first major incoming of red- or green-bed (‘Old Red Sandstone’) terrestrial facies, thereby excluding the shallow marine Downton Castle Sandstone and Tilestones formations that have traditionally been included in the Old Red Sandstone. The report proposes the introduction of two new names and group status for the successions traditionally referred to as the Lower Old Red Sandstone and Upper Old Red Sandstone. The two successions are separated by the major, regional, cleavage-forming Acadian unconformity, and because of this, the authors have made a case for giving them supergroup status. However, they are here accorded group status in accordance with practice in the other Old Red Sandstone basins of the United Kingdom, both onshore and offshore. In nationwide standardisation, all the groups are informally referred to the as-yet undefined parent ‘Old Red Sandstone Supergroup’, although the authors propose that the term ‘Old Red Sandstone’ is best retained as a facies (or magnafacies) term. The Lower Old Red Sandstone is termed the Daugleddau Group and the Upper Old Red Sandstone is termed the Brecon Beacons Group.