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The Magnesian Limestone is a suite of carbonate rocks in north-east
The Magnesian Limestone is a suite of carbonate rocks in north-east England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
dating from the Permian
The Permian ( ) is a geologic period and stratigraphic system which spans 47 million years from the end of the Carboniferous Period million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Triassic Period 251.9 Mya. It is the last period of the Pale ...
period. The outcrop stretches from Nottingham
Nottingham ( , locally ) is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east of Sheffield and north-east of Birmingham. Nottingham has links to the legend of Robi ...
northwards through Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...
and into County Durham where it is exposed along the coast between Hartlepool and South Shields
South Shields () is a coastal town in South Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the south bank of the mouth of the River Tyne. Historically, it was known in Roman times as Arbeia, and as Caer Urfa by Early Middle Ages. According to the ...
. The term has now been discontinued in formal use though it appears widely in popular and scientific literature on the geology of northern England.
The Magnesian Limestone is now incorporated within the Zechstein Group. In the southern part of its outcrop, the former 'Lower Magnesian Limestone' is now referred to as the ' Cadeby Formation'. Overlying this it is the 'Edlington Formation' (formerly the ' Middle Permian Marl') and above this the Brotherton Formation (formerly the 'Upper Magnesian Limestone'). In the north, the Lower Magnesian Limestone is now referred to as the Raisby Formation and the middle Magnesian Limestone as the Ford Formation. The Upper Magnesian Limestone is replaced by the Roker Formation (in its lower part) and the Seaham Formation (in its upper part) with the Edlington formation between them, though in the Durham area this last is replaced by the Fordham Evaporite Formation and the Seaham Residue.
Much of the Magnesian Limestone is dolomite, i.e. calcium magnesium carbonate, and has been for many years the main source of dolomite-rock in Britain. It is used in connection with the production of refractory bricks but also for aggregate for road-building and other construction purposes. It is also used in the production of agricultural lime. This type of limestone was used for statues in antiquity because of its resistance to acid. Many pieces of dolomite were found in the ruins of Rome, though they are thought to have been brought from Magnesia in Greece.
References
{{reflist Permian System of Europe Geology of England