Puddlebrook Quarry

Puddlebrook Quarry
Site of Special Scientific Interest
Location within Gloucestershire
Area of Search	Gloucestershire
Grid reference	SO646183
Coordinates	51°51′45″N 2°30′53″W / 51.862604°N 2.514748°W / 51.862604; -2.514748Coordinates: 51°51′45″N 2°30′53″W / 51.862604°N 2.514748°W / 51.862604; -2.514748
Interest	Geological
Area	0.7 hectare
Notification	1986
Natural England website

Puddlebrook Quarry (grid reference SO646183) is a 0.7-hectare (1.7-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, near Drybrook notified in 1986.^[1]^[2] The site is listed in the 'Forest of Dean Local Plan Review' as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS).^[3]

The Quarry is north of Mitcheldean Meend Marsh which is a nature reserve.

Location and geology

The site is on the northern side of the Forest of Dean and provides a unique exposure of the basal strata of the Westphalian Series of the Upper Carboniferous period. The conglomerates exposed differ significantly from the sandy beds of the same age of the southern area of the Forest of Dean. This demonstrates the uplift to the early Westphalian and is important for geological understanding of the development of the Coalfield of the area.^[1]

Lower Carboniferous Drybrook Sandstone lies under the conglomerates and there is a significant collection of late Dinantian fossil plants visible (ten different species). One of the oldest known mosses is present (Muscites plumatus). Some species are common with the contemporary Lower Brown Limestone and Lower Oil Shales floras.^[1]

The quarry is nationally important for research in the distribution of Lower Carboniferous plants. It provides early evolutionary information on mosses, lycopods and pteriodosperms.^[1]

References

SSSI Source

External links

Natural England (SSSI information)

Geological Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire

Summarised data for all sites (biological and geological)

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 Hereford and Worcester Oxfordshire Wiltshire

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