Duckmanton Railway Cutting
Also within
Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SK423703 | — | Favourable | 3.8 | 2012-01-24 |
Geology & landscape
Geological Period: Carboniferous
Description
Description The rock outcrops within this site provide rare and valuable exposures of a sequence of Coal Measures rocks, including coals, shales and sandstones, formed about 300 million years ago during the late Carboniferous Period of geological time. The rock sequence contains abundant fossil remains and of particular importance are layers rich in the remains of marine animals. These Marine Bands are used to date accurately rocks of this age and are of prime importance for the exploration and development of coal bearing rocks. One of the marine bands recognised here is of special interest since it marks the boundary between two of the three major divisions of the Coal Measures. Because of the high quality of the exposures the site has been proposed as the standard or reference locality for that boundary. This site is thus an internationally important geological locality exposinga vital time marker in the Coal Measures sequence.