Little Hill
Also within
Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SO610381 | — | Unfavourable Recovering | 5.75 | 2014-08-07 |
Geology & landscape
Geological Period: Silurian · Rock Type: Limestone
Description
Area, 5.75 ha. 14.2 ac. Description Rock outcrops within this site provide valuable exposures of Wenlock Limestone, formed about 410 million years ago during the Silurian Period. The limestones originally accumulated as lime, mud and sand on the bed of a warm shallow sea. At the time, Britain was situated nearer to the equator than at present and the climate was tropical or subtropical. The Wenlock sea thus contained abundant marine life, much of which is now represented as well preserved fossils in the limestones. In places, coral colonies built up reef mounds on the sea bed and these are preserved as masses of rather homogeneous limestone, sometimes known as ballstones. In between the reef mounds are thinly bedded limestone sequences. This is an important site for studies of the Wenlock Limestone, enabling comparisons to be made with other similar occurrences as far apart as the West Midlands and South Wales.