Stratigraphy

There are five geological Formations on Bermuda. In order of decreasing age, they are the Walsingham, the Town Hill, the Belmont, the Rocky Bay and the Southampton. These Formations are separated by "red" clay geosol. Variations at Bermuda during the Pleistocene epoch tended to be cyclic, so a continuous evolution of the environment was not recorded. As a result the deposits are uniform and the stratigraphical division on the basis of rock time is impossible.

Each of Bermuda's Formations is limestone and comprises a similar package of deposits including: aeolian deposits; minor volume marine deposits; frequently one or more protosols; and occasionally a paleosol. Each Formation represents a discrete episode of sedimentation identifiable by it's age relative to other Formations. The lengthy periods between these episodes are represented by the paleosol.

A stratigraphic column does not represent the geology everywhere because individual Formations are of limited extent. This is particularly so in Bermuda where, as a result of the patchy nature of dune deposition, the record at most locations is incomplete.