It is one of a series of such basins which developed across northern England in this period separating upstanding blocks which were typically underlain by buoyant granites.
One distinct section of the basin is a half graben which contains over 3km thickness of late Devonian to Courceyan strata and is referred to as the Bowland Sub-basin.
These basins resulted from the crust of the region being subjected to a north–south lateral tension regime which began in the late Devonian and lasted through until the Visean.
The proven sedimentary fill in the Craven Basin starts with Courceyan age mudstones and limestones of the Chatburn Limestone Group, followed by the similar sediments deposited from Chadian to Asbian times and assigned to the Worston Shale Group.
The basin fill is completed by the Brigantian age Bowland Shale Group which comprises the Pendleside Sandstones within what is otherwise a mudstone succession.