South Lodge Pit
Site of Special Scientific Interest
LocationBuckinghamshire
Grid referenceSU905819
InterestGeological
Area0.5 hectares
Notification1986
Location mapMagic Map

South Lodge Pit is a 0.5-hectare (1.2-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Taplow in Buckinghamshire.[1][2] It is a Geological Conservation Review site.[3]

This former chalk quarry dates to the late Cretaceous, around 83 million year ago. It is the only British example of a chalk phosphorite deposit, comparable to deposits in the Paris Basin.[1] In the late Cretaceous sea levels were much higher and covered much of England, including Buckinghamshire.[4] Marine fossils are found in several horizons, including annelids, oysters and bivalves.[5]

The site is on private land with no public access.

References

  1. 1 2 "South Lodge Pit citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  2. "Map of South Lodge Pit". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  3. "South Lodge Pit (Cenomanian, Turonian, Senonian, Maastrichtian)". Joint Nature Conservation Committee. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  4. "South Lodge Pit". Taplow Society. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  5. "South Lodge Pit SSSI". Bucks Geology. Retrieved 29 February 2016.

51°31′44″N 0°41′46″W / 51.529°N 0.6962°W / 51.529; -0.6962

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.