The fossil oil seep in Mupe Bay, Dorset: a myth investigated

Miles, Jennifer A.; Downes, Christopher J.; Cook, Sarah E.

doi:10.1016/0264-8172(93)90100-7

Cited by 19 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Other localities considered, that did not yield sufficient biomarkers for correlation, include mines at Great Orme’s Head (Gwynedd, Wales) and South Crofty (Cornwall), where anciently exploited ore deposits co-occur with bitumen [34]. Specimens from three other on-shore petroleum systems (Windy Knoll, Derbyshire; Thurso, Caithness; Mupe Bay, Dorset) with substantial inland and coastal outcrops of vein-bitumen and bituminous sandstone were also included [35–36]. The Middle Eastern comparators are all known or reputed to be in active exploitation in the 1 st millennium AD and earlier (Table 2) [37].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identification, Geochemical Characterisation and Significance of Bitumen among the Grave Goods of the 7th Century Mound 1 Ship-Burial at Sutton Hoo (Suffolk, UK)

et al. 2016

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The 7th century ship-burial at Sutton Hoo is famous for the spectacular treasure discovered when it was first excavated in 1939. The finds include gold and garnet jewellery, silverware, coins and ceremonial armour of broad geographical provenance which make a vital contribution to understanding the political landscape of early medieval Northern Europe. Fragments of black organic material found scattered within the burial were originally identified as ‘Stockholm Tar’ and linked to waterproofing and maintenance of the ship. Here we present new scientific analyses undertaken to re-evaluate the nature and origin of these materials, leading to the identification of a previously unrecognised prestige material among the treasure: bitumen from the Middle East. Whether the bitumen was gifted as diplomatic gesture or acquired through trading links, its presence in the burial attests to the far-reaching network within which the elite of the region operated at this time. If the bitumen was worked into objects, either alone or in composite with other materials, then their significance within the burial would certainly have been strongly linked to their form or purpose. But the novelty of the material itself may have added to the exotic appeal. Archaeological finds of bitumen from this and earlier periods in Britain are extremely rare, despite the abundance of natural sources of bitumen within Great Britain. This find provides the first material evidence indicating that the extensively exploited Middle Eastern bitumen sources were traded northward beyond the Mediterranean to reach northern Europe and the British Isles.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identification, Geochemical Characterisation and Significance of Bitumen among the Grave Goods of the 7th Century Mound 1 Ship-Burial at Sutton Hoo (Suffolk, UK)

et al. 2016

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“…This show was not adequately tested. The main objective, the Lower Jurassic, Bencliff Grit, which is oil impregnated at outcrop near Osmington Mills 10 miles to the west (Miles et al 1993), was not reached because of mechanical difficulties. Broadbench -1 was plugged and abandoned at 287m in the Osmington Oolite.…”

Section: Broadbench-1mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Kimmeridge Bay Oilfield, Dorset, UK Onshore

Gluyas¹,

Evans²,

Richards

2003

Memoirs

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The Kimmeridge Oilfield is the oldest commercial discovery of petroleum in the Wessex Basin. The field was discovered in 1959. The discovery well was completed for production and that same well continues to produce today, more than forty years after discovery.More than three million barrels of oil have been produced. Oil is trapped in fractured, Middle Jurassic, Cornbrash limestones in an anticline. The anticline is a product of Alpine inversion tectonics. Moreover, the Kimmeridge accumulation is unusual insofar as it is the only inversion structure to contain a commercial quantity of petroleum and the only producing field in the hanging wall of the Purbeck Disturbance.

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