Oxfordshire Rock Types

The oldest rocks to crop out are in the north, of the county, in the Banbury area, and are of Lower Jurassic age, circa 200 million years old. Younger rocks Mezozoic formations crop out successively towards the south-east.  The harder rock types are relatively more resistant to weathering and erosion and these form hills. These more resistant rocks are known as limestone and chalk.   The intervening vales are bottomed by clays and sands.

A simplified Jurassic stratigraphy of Oxfordshire

Chipping Norton