Macrofossils from the Upper Greensand and Chalk Group of Sheet 281 (Frome), 282 (Devizes) and 298 (Salisbury)

This report describes the Middle and Late Cretaceous stratigraphy at 170 localities in the Frome (Sheet 281), Devizes (Sheet 282) and Salisbury (Sheet 298) districts based on fossil collections and field observations. Nearly all of the localities fall within the Salisbury Plain military ranges, an area that has not previously been available for detailed geological investigation. Seven formations are recognised in the Chalk Group within the region covered by this report: West Melbury Marly Chalk Formation, Zig Zag Chalk Formation, Holywell Nodular Chalk Formation, New Pit Chalk Formation, Lewes Nodular Chalk Formation, Seaford Chalk Formation and Newhaven Chalk Formation. The large quarry at Beggar's Knoll, near Westbury ('Westbury Quarry' herein), provides a key exposure of four of these formations, from the lower part of the Zig Zag Chalk to the base of the Lewes Nodular Chalk. A single locality within the Upper Greensand Formation is also described.