Alderton Hill Quarry

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Alderton Hill Quarry
Site of Special Scientific Interest
View to Alderton Hill - geograph.org.uk - 1481470.jpg
The location - Alderton Hill
Gloucestershire UK location map.svg
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Location within Gloucestershire
Location Gloucestershire
Grid reference SP006345
Coordinates 52°00′34″N1°59′31″W / 52.009382°N 1.991941°W / 52.009382; -1.991941
InterestGeological
Area0.34 hectare
Notification 1997
Natural England website

Alderton Hill Quarry (grid reference SP006345 ) is a 0.34-hectare (0.84-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1997. It is a Geological Conservation Review (GCR) site. [1]

Contents

Location and geology

The site is located on Alderton Hill to the south west of Dumbleton Wood, approximately 2 kilometres south west of Dumbleton village which is in north Gloucestershire. [1]

The site is a significant location for research because of its well preserved Lower Jurassic insect fauna. There is a range of publications which detail the findings on this site, which include fossil insects. Particular findings are specimens of dragonflies ( Gomphites ) and a large cockroach. Fish remains have been found, and well-preserved cephalopods. [1] The strata exposed are part of the Whitby Mudstone. In April 2024, Swaby et al. published the first comprehensive taxonomic and taphonomic analysis of the entire insect assemblage from Alderton Hill, based on all known museum specimens. Through comparison with the Lower Jurassic insect fauna of Strawberry Bank, Ilminster, Somerset, this study concluded that the Alderton Hill palaeoentomofauna is the best-preserved and most representative insect assemblage from the Toarcian strata of the UK. [2]

The site is located in hedges which are species-rich. They include ash, oak, holly, hawthorn, hazel and spindle. The common blue butterfly is recorded. [1]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Natural England SSSI information on the citation
  2. ↑ Swaby, Emily J.; Coe, Angela L.; Ansorge, Jörg; Caswell, Bryony A.; Hayward, Scott A. L.; Mander, Luke; Stevens, Liadan G.; McArdle, Aimee (2024). "The fossil insect assemblage associated with the Toarcian (Lower Jurassic) oceanic anoxic event from Alderton Hill, Gloucestershire, UK". PLOS ONE. 19 (4): e0299551. Bibcode:2024PLoSO..1999551S. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0299551 . PMC   11023202 . PMID   38630753.

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