Cold Ash Quarry
Also within
Condition (Natural England)
Unfavourable Recovering (1)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SU500714 | — | Unfavourable Recovering | 0.43 | 2011-06-10 |
Description
Area, 0.43 hectares 1.05 ac Description This locality is unique in Britain for the assemblage of fossil plants and insects which occur in a lens of silt and clay within the Reading Beds. The deposits were laid down in a riverine environment about 60 million years ago and have been the subject of a number of important research papers which have been published in recent years. The fossil flora consists of well preserved angiosperm leaves and within some of these there is evidence of the activity of contemporary leaf miner insects. This is the only locality in Britain at which fossil leaf miner activity has been found.