 Former ice caps did not reach south of the line running from Bristol to London, so this area has only been impacted by fluvio-glacial deposition which is represented in gravel beds around rivers such as the Thames.As the ice caps retreated northwards, more fluvio-glacial deposition occurred for example in the Vale of York

No rocks earlier than the Proterozoic occur at surface within England.The Proterozoic lasted from (2,500–542 Ma).