River Calder Section

Site of Special Scientific Interest · 54.4922, -3.4397

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Also within

Cumbria County LAKE DISTRICT National Park

Condition (Natural England)

Favourable (1)
UnitFeatureConditionArea (ha)Assessed
NY068117 — Favourable 0.57 2024-02-21

Habitats

Fast flowing river and stream

Description

Area, 0.7 hectares 1.7 ac Description The River Calder Section lies eight kilometres south of Ennerdale Bridge on Kinniside common and comprises a series of rock outcrops along a 150 metres stretch of the River Calder. The site is of importance because rocks of the Skiddaw Group have here yielded the first definite Tremadoc type faunas in the Lake District, with the consequent implications for the assessment of the geological history of the region. The fauna, mainly trilobites, includes Peltocare, Prospectatrix, Parabolinella, Niobina, nileids and agnostids. The taxa are different from those found in the upper Tremadoc elsewhere in Britain and the presence of nileids suggests that this is a higher stratigraphical level than those found in other areas. The rocks may, therefore, be correlated with Tremadoc Arenig “transitional” sequences in Scandinavia. This is supported by grapholite evidence from adjacent districts, which suggests a correlation with the lower Lancefieldian Stage of Australia and New Zealand.

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