EDUCATION CENTRE

The Bovey Basin

Along the ancient Sticklepath Fault Zone there were regular earthquakes, which caused some weakened areas of ground to subside and form basins where the river and lake sediments accumulated.

In South Devon, the diamond-shaped Bovey Basin - situated between Bovey Tracey and Newton Abbot - was formed. It has maximum dimensions of 11 km by 5 km, and may be as deep as 1,200 metres (4,000 feet). It represents the largest single deposit of ball clays currently known.

The Petrockstowe Basin, in North Devon, is considerably smaller with a vertical depth of probably only 300 metres.

Today, within the Bovey Basin deposit, many different seams of clays, lignites and sands can be identified. Generally, each individual clay seam has its own set of properties, determined by the mix of minerals carried in by the water courses at the time of sedimentation.