Editing Geography of the United Kingdom (section)

====Cenozoic====
Between 63 and 52 Ma, the last volcanic rocks in Great Britain were formed. The major eruptions at this time produced the [[County Antrim|Antrim Plateau]], the [[basalt]]ic columns of the [[Giant's Causeway]] and [[Lundy Island]] in the [[Bristol Channel]].

The [[Alpine Orogeny]] that took place in Europe about 50 Ma, was responsible for the folding of strata in southern England, producing the [[London Basin]] [[syncline]], the [[Weald-Artois Anticline]] to the south, the [[North Downs]], [[South Downs]] and [[Chiltern Hills]].

During the period the [[North Sea]] formed, Britain was [[Tectonic uplift|uplift]]ed. Some of this uplift was along old lines of weakness left from the Caledonian and Variscan Orogenies long before. The uplifted areas were then eroded, and further sediments, such as the [[London Clay]], were deposited over southern England.

The major changes during the last 2 million years were brought about by [[Quaternary glaciation|several recent ice ages]]. The most severe was the [[Anglian Stage|Anglian Glaciation]], with ice up to {{convert|1000|m|ft|abbr=on}} thick that reached as far south as [[London]] and [[Bristol]]. This took place between about 478,000 to 424,000 years ago, and was responsible for the diversion of the [[River Thames]] onto its present course. During the most recent [[Devensian glaciation]], which ended a mere 10,000 years ago, the icesheet reached south to [[Wolverhampton]] and [[Cardiff]]. Among the features left behind by the ice are the [[fjord]]s of the west coast of Scotland, the [[glaciated valley|U-shaped valleys]] of the [[Lake District]] and [[Glacial erratic|erratic]]s (blocks of rock) that have been transported from the [[Oslo]] region of [[Norway]] and deposited on the coast of [[Yorkshire]].

Amongst the most significant geological features created during the last twelve thousand years are the [[peat]] deposits of Scotland, and of coastal and upland areas of England and Wales.

At the present time Scotland is continuing to rise as a result of the weight of Devensian ice being lifted. Southern and eastern England is sinking, generally estimated at 1&nbsp;mm ({{frac|25}}&nbsp;in) per year, with the London area sinking at double the speed partly due to the continuing [[Compaction (geology)|compaction]] of the recent clay deposits.