Stratton Audley Quarries
Also within
Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP600254 | — | Destroyed | 0.77 | 2022-03-30 |
| SP601250 | — | Destroyed | 7.83 | 2022-03-30 |
Geology & landscape
Mining / Industrial: Quarry · Geological Period: Jurassic · Rock Type: Limestone, Marble
Description
Area, 8.7 hectares 21.5 ac Description A large part of the Jurassic White Limestone, as well as the entire Forest Marble and the Lower Cornbrash Hodsoni Zone discus Zone have been exposed by quarrying at Stratton Audley. The quarry is an important location for studying facies changes which occur in the upper part of the White Limestone and in the Forest Marble, when these two formations are traced from Oxfordshire eastwards towards the 'London landmass' and north eastwards into Buckinghamshire. Micritic limestones 'lime mudstones' developed within the Forest Marble between Bicester and Milton Keynes and well displayed in this section, are distinctly different to limestones found within the Forest Marble elsewhere. They were probably deposited as lime muds in restricted, brackish to freshwater lagoons. The Stratton Audley section affords an excellent opportunity to study the sediments and faunas which characterised such environments in Upper Bathonian times, as well as those of the more marine and fossiliferous Lower Cornbrash above.