Geology of the Bath district : a brief explanation of the geological map sheet 265 Bath

This Sheet Explanation provides a summary of the geology of the area covered by geological 1:50 000 Series Sheet 265 Bath. The main population centres are the eastern suburbs of Bristol together with Chippenham, Melksham, Corsham and the city of Bath itself, which is England’s only World Heritage City. The majority of the district is however rural, and it lies at the southern end of the Cotswold Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The Cotswold escarpment is the most significant principal geomorphological feature of the district, forming a prominent ridge which runs north from Upton Chew to Old Sodbury. This separates the low-lying undulating ground in the west from the rolling, upland country of the Cotswold Hills, which then fall gently eastwards towards the Avon valley. In the east, the ground rises towards the Chalk downlands of Salisbury Plain.The principal river of the district is the River Avon which enters the north of the district, following a circuitous route through Chippenham, Melksham and Bath to the western edge of the district at Keynsham. The Cam Brook and By Brook are significant tributaries, both entering the river at Bath.