The tropical sea slowly became shallower, as it was filled with silt deposits from numerous rivers flowing into it. Periodically, volcanic eruptions extruded lava onto the sea bed, meaning that igneous rock is also found in the region today, locally named Toadstone. During this period, the calcareous (calcium rich) bodies of microscopic sea creatures and coral accumulated on the sea bed, forming thick layers of what became the limestone of the White Peak and the bedrock of the entire region. The foundations of the area were laid down 340-350 million years ago in the Carboniferous (Mississippian) Period when what is now central England was at the Equator and covered in a tropical sea. The White Peak consists of limestone outcrops which have a distinctive gray coloring, whereas the Dark Peak, which surrounds the White, is more elevated and composed of darker gritstones, sandstones and shales. The National Park takes its name from its two distinct regions called the White and Dark Peaks. The Peak District is a National Park in central England (Figure 1), characterized by a unique geology and geomorphology which are the product of processes extending back to the Late Tertiary period, approximately 25 million years ago.
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