Downfield Pit

Last updated
Downfield Pit, Westmill
Site of Special Scientific Interest
Downfield Pit north 4.JPG
Downfield Pit north
Location Hertfordshire
Grid reference TL349165
InterestGeological
Area3.6 hectares
Notification 1989
Location map Magic Map
Downfield Pit south Downfield Pit south 1.JPG
Downfield Pit south

Downfield Pit is a 3.6-hectare (8.9-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest near Ware in Hertfordshire. It is in the Geological Conservation Review in the Thames Pleistocene section, and the local planning authority is East Hertfordshire District Council. [1] [2]

The site provides an example of the complex sequence of Pleistocene gravels and clays laid down by the River Thames when it flowed through the Vale of St Albans before the river was diverted south by the Anglian ice age around 450,000 years ago. [3] Downfield Pit is a key site linking the Thames and East Anglia regions during the Middle Pleistocene. [1]

The site is now very degraded, but a borehole could establish the sequence of deposits. [3] It is in two areas, both now within the Hanbury Manor Golf Course. The northern area is on a steeply sloping boundary of the course and the southern one is part of the course. They can be observed from Poles Lane.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westwood Quarry</span>

Westwood Quarry is a 0.07 hectare geological site of Special Scientific Interest west of Watford in Hertfordshire. It was notified in 1987 under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. The planning authority is Three Rivers District Council. It is a Geological Conservation Review site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wansunt Pit</span>

Wansunt Pit is a 1.9-hectare (4.7-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Dartford Heath between Crayford in the London Borough of Bexley and Dartford in Kent. It is also a Geological Conservation Review site. It is important geologically because it exposes the Dartford Heath Gravel, and the relationship of this exposure to the Swanscombe sequence and the Thames Terraces is a controversial issue in Thames Pleistocene studies. The site is part of Braeburn Park, a nature reserve managed by the London Wildlife Trust.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moor Mill Quarry, West</span> Site of Special Scientific Interest in Hertfordshire

Moor Mill Quarry, West is a 0.16-hectare (0.40-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in How Wood in Hertfordshire. The local planning authority is St Albans City and District Council. It was notified in 1992 as representing the former Moor Mill Quarry SSSI, which was lost to landfill operations. It is listed by the Geological Conservation Review.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hillcollins Pit</span>

Hillcollins Pit or Furneux Pelham Gravel Pit is a 0.2-hectare (0.49-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest near Furneux Pelham in Hertfordshire. The local planning authority is East Hertfordshire District Council. it was identified as a site of national importance in the Geological Conservation Review in 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Heath Pit</span>

Little Heath Pit is a 0.3-hectare (0.74-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest at Little Heath near Potten End in Hertfordshire. It is part of the Ashridge Estate, owned by the National Trust, and the local planning authority is Dacorum Borough Council. It is listed in the Geological Conservation Review.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fern House Gravel Pit</span>

Fern House Gravel Pit is a 1.3-hectare (3.2-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Fern, near Bourne End in Buckinghamshire. It is also a Geological Conservation Review site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Globe Pit</span>

Globe Pit is a 0.4-hectare (0.99-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Little Thurrock in Essex. It is a Geological Conservation Review site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Purfleet Chalk Pits</span> Site of Special Scientific Interest in Purfleet in Essex

Purfleet Chalk Pits is a 10.7-hectare (26-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Purfleet in Essex. It is a Geological Conservation Review site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ardleigh Gravel Pit</span> Site in Essex, UK

Ardleigh Gravel Pit is a 1.2-hectare (3.0-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest south of Ardleigh in Essex. It is a Geological Conservation Review site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wivenhoe Gravel Pit</span>

Wivenhoe Gravel Pit is a 2.1-hectare (5.2-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest north of Wivenhoe in Essex. It is a Geological Conservation Review site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Osyth Pit</span>

St Osyth Pit is a 0.1-hectare (0.25-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest north of St Osyth in Essex. It is a Geological Conservation Review site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goldsands Road Pit</span>

Goldsands Road Pit is a 1.3-hectare (3.2-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Southminster in Essex. It is a Geological Conservation Review site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newney Green Pit</span>

Newney Green Pit is a 0.07-hectare (0.17-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest west of Writtle in Essex. It is a Geological Conservation Review site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holton Pit</span>

Holton Pit is a 1.6-hectare (4.0-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest east of Halesworth in Suffolk. It is a Geological Conservation Review site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aldeburgh Brick Pit</span>

Aldeburgh Brick Pit is a 0.9-hectare (2.2-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Aldeburgh in Suffolk. It is a Geological Conservation Review site, and it is in the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Blakenham Pit</span>

Great Blakenham Pit is a 2.2-hectare (5.4-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest south of Great Blakenham in Suffolk. It is a Geological Conservation Review site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waldringfield Pit</span>

Waldringfield Pit is a 0.8-hectare (2.0-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest between Martlesham Heath and Waldringfield in Suffolk. It is a Geological Conservation Review site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sturry Pit</span>

Sturry Pit is a 0.7 hectares geological Site of Special Scientific Interest north-east of Canterbury in Kent. It is a Geological Conservation Review site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aylesford Pit</span>

Aylesford Pit is a 1.5-hectare (3.7-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest north of Maidstone in Kent. It is a Geological Conservation Review site.

References

  1. 1 2 "Downfield Pit, Westmill citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  2. ↑ "Map of Downfield Pit, Westmill". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  3. 1 2 "A Geological Conservation Strategy for Hertfordshire" (PDF). Hertfordshire RIGS Group. 2003. p. 43. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 4 February 2015.

Coordinates: 51°49′51″N0°02′37″W / 51.8308°N 0.0437°W / 51.8308; -0.0437

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.