Wharncliffe Crags

Site of Special Scientific Interest · 53.4733, -1.5522

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Also within

South Yorkshire County

Condition (Natural England)

Favourable (1)
UnitFeatureConditionArea (ha)Assessed
SK298974 — Favourable 15.48 2024-04-04

Climate exposure

This is about exposure to a nationwide pressure this habitat type carries — not a verdict on this site's own management.

Coastal

Coastal habitats are exposed to sea-level rise and storm erosion. Where hard sea defences sit behind them, there's nowhere landward to retreat to — a squeeze that keeps compressing the habitat no matter how well it's managed.

Habitats

Fast flowing river and stream

Geology & landscape

Geological Period: Carboniferous · Rock Type: Sandstone

Landscape processes: Coastal, Fluvial

Description

Area, 14.5 hectares 35.8 ac Description This site, situated 6 miles north west of Sheffield City Centre, lies in extensive woodlands overlooking the River Don valley. Areas of birch/oak woodland, down slope from the cliff face and dry heathland, on flat ground at the top of the hill, occur within the site. It is the geological features displayed in the cliff face that are of special interest. This is the type section and best available exposure for the Wharncliffe Edge Rock Formation, one of the important sandstone bodies in the lower Westphalian A of the Pennines area. Two principal sandstone beds are present here. The lower one, around ten metres thick, has well developed cross bedding, typical of river point bar sediments; the upper is thinner, but shows interesting soft sediment deformation structures. The lower sandstone unit has a relatively limited geographical extent and is interpreted as the remains of a meandering river channel. These sections afford one of the best preserved examples of a fluvial meaner belt in the Middle Carboniferous of the Pennines, of considerable importance for sedimentological investigations of the Coal Measures of this region.

Plant communities

A9 — Fast flowing river and stream, Marginal and inundation, Pond ditch and canal, Sluggish river and stream

Potamogeton natans community

Schoenoplectus lacustris, Juncus bulbosus, Sparganium angustifolium, Sparganium erectum, Sparganium minimum, Alisma plantago-aquatica, Lobelia dortmanna, Equisetum fluviatile, Myriophyllum alterniflorum, Elodea canadensis, Lemna minor, Lemna trisulca, Nymphaea alba, Callitriche platycarpa, Callitriche stagnalis, Littorella uniflora, Potamogeton natans, Ranunculus trichophyllus, Glyceria fluitans, Chara subspinosa

A14 — Fast flowing river and stream

Myriophyllum alterniflorum community

Isolepis fluitans, Juncus bulbosus, Fontinalis antipyretica, Lobelia dortmanna, Equisetum fluviatile, Myriophyllum alterniflorum, Lemna minor, Callitriche stagnalis, Littorella uniflora, Potamogeton filiformis, Potamogeton gramineus, Potamogeton natans, Ranunculus peltatus, Chara spp., Nitella hyalina

A17 — Chalk river and stream, Fast flowing river and stream

Ranunculus penicillatus ssp. pseudofluitans community

Berula erecta, Nasturtium officinale, Elodea canadensis, Lemna minor, Callitriche stagnalis, Veronica beccabunga, Polygonum amphibium, Polygonum hydropiper, Potamogeton crispus, Potamogeton pectinatus, Ranunculus penicillatus ssp. pseudofluitans

A18 — Fast flowing river and stream

Ranunculus fluitans community

Fontinalis antipyretica, Fontinalis squamosa var. curnowii, Myriophyllum alterniflorum, Myriophyllum spicatum, Elodea canadensis, Mentha aquatica, Lemna gibba, Lemna minor, Potamogeton perfoliatus, Ranunculus fluitans, Glyceria fluitans, Phalaris arundinacea