Foss Cross Quarry
Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire
51°46′55″N 1°55′10″W / 51.781886°N 1.919501°W / 51.781886; -1.919501
Foss Cross Quarry (grid reference SP056092) is a 0.67-hectare (1.7-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1972.[1][2] The site is listed in the 'Cotswold District' Local Plan 2001-2011 (on line) as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS) and a Regionally Important Geological Site (RIGS).[3][4]
Location and geology
The site lies in the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and provides important exposures of White Limestone Formation (Middle Jurassic) in the county. The rocks have been interpreted as deposits which were laid down c.165 million years ago in a warm, shallow sea. The conditions for that exist today on the Bahama Banks in the Caribbean. There is a well-developed sedimentary structure with a variety of fossils.[1]
The site is also important for the red fossil alga (Solenopora jurassica). This is called Beetroot Stone. Areas of hardened sea floor also occur. The site is a significant research area and has enabled geologists to reconstruct the environments of the ancient seas which covered much of Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire during the Middle Jurassic time interval.[1]
References
- ^ a b c Natural England SSSI information on the citation
- ^ Cotswold District Local Plan, Appendix 1, Sites of Special Scientific Interest Archived March 26, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Cotswold District Local Plan, Appendix 2, Key Wildlife Sites Archived October 13, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Cotswold District Local Plan, Appendix 3, Regionally Important Geological Sites Archived March 26, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
SSSI Source
- Natural England SSSI information on the citation
- Natural England SSSI information on the Foss Cross Quarry unit
External links
- Natural England (SSSI information)
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Geological Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire
- Alderton Hill Quarry
- Bull Cross, The Frith and Juniper Hill
- Campden Tunnel Gravel Pit
- Cleeve Common
- Coaley Wood Quarries
- Crickley Hill and Barrow Wake
- Easter Park Farm Quarry
- Edgehills Quarry
- Foss Cross Quarry
- Garden Cliff
- Hampen Railway Cutting
- Haresfield Beacon
- Harford Railway Cutting
- Hobbs Quarry
- Hornsleasow Quarry
- Huntsman's Quarry
- Jackdaw Quarry
- Kemble Railway Cuttings
- Knap House Quarry, Birdlip
- Land Grove Quarry, Mitcheldean
- Leckhampton Hill and Charlton Kings Common
- Longhope Hill
- Lower Woods
- Lower Wye Gorge
- Lydney Cliff
- May Hill
- Meezy Hurst
- Minchinhampton Common
- New Park Quarry
- Nibley Knoll
- Notgrove Railway Cutting
- Oakenhill Railway Cutting
- Puddlebrook Quarry
- River Wye
- Robin's Wood Hill Quarry
- Rodborough Common
- Salmonsbury Meadows
- Scully Grove Quarry
- Severn Estuary
- Slade Brook
- Stenders Quarry
- Stony Furlong Railway Cutting
- Swift's Hill
- Upper Severn Estuary
- The Malvern Hills
- Purton Passage
- Selsley Common
- Upper Wye Gorge
- Veizey's Quarry
- Wainlode Cliff
- Wellacre Quarry
- Wood Green Quarry & Railway Cutting
- Wotton Hill
- Neighbouring areas
- Avon
- Herefordshire
- Oxfordshire
- Wiltshire
- Worcestershire
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