Sharp's Hill Quarry
Also within
Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP337358 | — | Unfavourable Declining | 2.43 | 2022-03-30 |
Geology & landscape
Mining / Industrial: Quarry
Description
Area, 2.4 hectares 5.8 ac Description Sharp’s Hill Quarry is the type locality and one of the finest exposures of the richly fossiliferous sharp's Hill Formation probably corresponds with the progracilis Zone. The underlying Lower Bathonian Chipping Norton Formation' Swerford Beds' Facies is also present in the section. The site is critical for the sedimentological and stratigraphical interpretation of the north Oxfordshire Bathonian succession and for lithostratigraphic correlation between Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire. Snails from the so called 'Viviparus Marl' of sharp's Hill were once the subject of a considerable controversy over the freshwater / marine palaeoautecology habitat preference of Bathonella Viviparus.