Jump to content

Ashgill Quarry

Coordinates: 54°21′48″N 3°06′46″W / 54.363384°N 3.1126511°W / 54.363384; -3.1126511
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ashgill Quarry
Site of Special Scientific Interest
Ashgill Quarry is located in Cumbria
Ashgill Quarry
Location within Cumbria
LocationCumbria
Grid referenceSD278970
Coordinates54°21′48″N 3°06′46″W / 54.363384°N 3.1126511°W / 54.363384; -3.1126511
Area382.8 acres (1.5 km2; 0.60 sq mi)
Notification1987

Ashgill Quarry is a Site of Special Scientific Interest[1][2] within Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England. It is located near Coniston Water, near the village of Torver on the slopes of the mountain called the Old Man of Coniston. This protected area is important for the Ordovician rocks exposed here.[1] The protected area includes several quarries (including Banishead Quarry and Eddy Scale Quarry)

The Tranearth climbing hut, premises of the Lancashire Climbing and Caving Club, is located within this protected area.[3]

Details

[edit]

Geological strata within this protected area span the Ordovician - Silurian boundary. The quarry exposes the uppermost parts of the Dent group. Graptolite fossils (including Glyptograptus persculptus) in this protected area are important indicators for different geological strata. Several species of trilobite have been found in this protected area, including Mucronaspis mucronata. Brachipod fossils have also been recorded from this protected area, including species dated to the Hirnantian stage.[1][4]

Land ownership

[edit]

Part of the land within Ashgill Quarry SSSI is owned by the National Trust.[5]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "SSSI detail". designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
  2. ^ "Protected Planet | Ashgill Quarry". Protected Planet. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
  3. ^ "Tranearth". Lancashire Climbing & Caving Club. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
  4. ^ "British Cambrian to Ordovician Stratigraphy (Geological Conservation Review Series No. 18) | JNCC Resource Hub". hub.jncc.gov.uk. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
  5. ^ "Mapping the habitats of England's ten largest institutional landowners". Who owns England?. 2020-10-06. Retrieved 2024-11-24.