The Gault Group (Early Cretaceous, Albian), in East Kent, SE England; its lithology and ammonite biozonation

The construction of the Channel Tunnel in the Folkestone-Dover area provided new information on the litho-stratigraphy and ammonite bio-stratigraphy of the Upper and Lower Gault Formations in this area and the junction with the Chalk above and the Folkestone Formation below. Outline accounts of the Channel Tunnel Study Group boreholes in and offshore of Dover Harbour, Aycliff (Dover No. 1) and the Castle Hill, Cherry Garden Hill area west of Folkestone are supplemented by a more detailed description of the outcrop exposures made during the construction of the Danton Pinch Loop Tunnel (Peene) by Trans Manche Link. A review of the Lower and particularly the Upper Gault successions between Folkestone and the Medway is given and sections in the Upper Gault at Naccolt, Hinxhill, near Wye and Detling are described in greater detail than hitherto. Boreholes with information on the Gault drilled in the Kent Coalfield region are described and tectonic trends discussed. Recent proposals concerning the ammonite biozonation relevant to this area complete the study. (C) 2012 The Geologists' Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.