| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
 | |
  Location within Somerset | |
| Location | Somerset |
|---|---|
| Grid reference | ST682345 |
| Coordinates | 51°06′34″N 2°27′18″W / 51.1094°N 2.4549°W / 51.1094; -2.4549 |
| Interest | Geological |
| Area | 0.8 hectares (0.0080 km; 0.0031 sq mi) |
| Notification | 1971 (1971) |
| Natural England website | |
Godminster Lane Quarry and Railway Cutting (grid reference ST682345) is a 0.8 hectare geological Site of Special Scientific Interest at Pitcombe in Somerset, notified in 1971.
This is an important locality for study of the Inferior Oolite limestones, of Middle Jurassic age, laid down in a warm shallow sea some 175 million years ago. The site is unique in that the limestones seen here are much more closely comparable with rocks of similar age found in the Cotswolds than with rock sequences seen elsewhere in Somerset. However, the rocks do contain the rich assemblage of fossil ammonites which are typical of the north Dorset/south Somerset area and it is this feature, combined with the unusual limestone sequence, which makes this site unique. It is also important as a reference site for three sub-divisions (zones) of the Inferior Oolite — the laeviscula, discites and concavum Zones.
See also
References
- English Nature citation sheet for the site (accessed 10 August 2006)
External links
- English Nature website (SSSI information)