Berkshire, England, UKi

Regional Level Types
Berkshire	County
England	Constituent Country
UK	Country

Berkshire is a historic and ceremonial county in south-east England, United Kingdom, located to the west of Greater London. Although it has no single county council, Berkshire continues to exist as a ceremonial county and is administered through a number of unitary authorities. It covers an area of approximately 1,260 km² and includes a varied landscape of river valleys, chalk downlands, and low-lying plains. Major towns include Reading, Slough, Windsor, Maidenhead, and Newbury, while the River Thames forms a major geographic feature along much of the county’s northern boundary.

Geologically, Berkshire is dominated by Mesozoic and Cenozoic sedimentary rocks forming part of the London Basin and adjacent chalk uplands. The Chiltern Hills in the north of the county are composed of Upper Cretaceous chalk, forming open downland with steep escarpments and thin, well-drained soils. South of the Thames, chalk is overlain in places by Palaeogene sands and clays, including the Reading Beds, London Clay, and Bagshot Sands, which give rise to wooded lowlands and heathlands. In the west and south-west of the county, Lower Cretaceous sands and clays of the Wealden Group occur locally. Quaternary river terrace gravels and alluvial deposits are widespread along the Thames and Kennet valleys.

Berkshire’s mineral and extractive heritage reflects this sedimentary geology. Quarrying of chalk has been historically important for lime production and agriculture, while sand and gravel extraction from river terraces has supported construction and infrastructure development. Clay deposits were used locally for brickmaking and tile manufacture, particularly in areas underlain by Palaeogene strata. Flint from the chalk was historically important for tools and building stone, though metallic mineralisation is absent.

Administratively, Berkshire is divided into six unitary authorities: Bracknell Forest, Reading, Slough, West Berkshire, Windsor and Maidenhead, and Wokingham. The county retains a strong historical identity, including its association with the British monarchy through Windsor Castle. Berkshire’s geology has influenced its landscape, land use, and settlement patterns, shaping both its agricultural areas and its role as a key corridor along the Thames Valley.

Fossils

There are 11 fossil localities from the PaleoBioDB database within this region.

These data are provided on an experimental basis and are taken from external databases. Mindat.org has no control currently over the accuracy of these data.

Occurrences	11
Youngest Fossil Listed	47.8 Ma (Eocene)
Oldest Fossil Listed	145 Ma (Late Jurassic)
Stratigraphic Units	Unit No. Occurrences Age London Clay 6 37.2 - 33.9 Ma (Paleogene) Oldhaven - Tilehurst 1 56 - 47.8 Ma (Eocene) Reading Beds 1 66 - 56 Ma (Paleocene) Chalk - Middle Chalk 1 93.5 - 89.3 Ma (Late/Upper Cretaceous) Purbeck - Lulworth 2 145 - 140.2 Ma (Early/Lower Cretaceous)
Fossils from Region	Click here to show the list.
Accepted Name Hierarchy Age Ostrea genus Animalia : Mollusca : Bivalvia : Ostreida : Ostreidae : Ostraea 66 - 56 Ma Paleocene Landenodon genus Animalia : Chordata : Mammalia : Arctocyonidae : Landenodon 56 - 47.8 Ma Eocene Odontaspis macrota species Animalia : Chordata : Chondrichthyes : Lamniformes : Odontaspididae : Odontaspis : Odontaspis macrota 56 - 47.8 Ma Eocene Vitis genus Plantae : Tracheophyta : Magnoliopsida : Vitales : Vitaceae : Vitis 56 - 47.8 Ma Eocene Aeschnidium bubas species Animalia : Arthropoda : Insecta : Odonata : Aeschnidiidae : Aeschnidium : Aeschnidium bubas 145 - 140.2 Ma Early/Lower Cretaceous Delclosaeschidium magnum species Animalia : Arthropoda : Insecta : Odonata : Aeschnidiidae : Delclosaeschidium : Delclosaeschidium magnum 145 - 140.2 Ma Early/Lower Cretaceous Cornus multilocularis species Plantae : Spermatophyta : Magnoliopsida : Cornales : Cornaceae : Cornus : Cornus multilocularis 56 - 47.8 Ma Eocene Nitotacarcinus lutarius species Animalia : Arthropoda : Malacostraca : Decapoda : Tumidocarcinidae : Nitotacarcinus : Nitotacarcinus lutarius 56 - 47.8 Ma Eocene Gyrosoria lata species Animalia : Brachiopoda : Rhynchonellata : Terebratulida : Cancellothyrididae : Gyrosoria : Gyrosoria lata 93.9 - 89.8 Ma Late/Upper Cretaceous
Fossil Localities	Click to show 6 fossil localities

Other Databases

Wikipedia:	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berkshire
Wikidata ID:	Q23220
GeoNames ID:	2655856

Localities in this Region

Other Regions, Features and Areas that Intersect