Ox Mountains' bedrock composes gneiss, schist and granite while and the land to its north and south is underlain by limestones and sandstones from the Carboniferous (meaning coal-bearing) age.
Gneiss, schist and granite form the bedrock of the Ox Mountains. To the north and south the land is underlain by limestones and sandstones of Carboniferous age, and is generally farmland. The name Carboniferous means "coal-bearing" and derives from the Latin words ("coal") and ("I bear, I carry"), and was coined by geologists William Conybeare and William Phillips in 1822. 
