Shepton Montague Railway Cutting

Site of Special Scientific Interest · 51.0832, -2.4492

Also within

Somerset County

Condition (Natural England)

Favourable (1)
UnitFeatureConditionArea (ha)Assessed
ST686316 Favourable 1.59 2012-03-19

Geology & landscape

Geological Period: Jurassic

Description

Area, 1.61 ha. 3.98 ac. Description Shepton Montague Railway Cutting exposes the most important known section of Fuller's Earth Rock Middle Jurassic in England. The succession ranges from the upper part of the Lower Fuller's Earth Clay progracilis Zone up to the Rugitela Beds hodsoni Zone. The sediments are very fossiliferous and have yielded numerous ammonites from three Bathonian ammonite zones for which it is a key British locality. In addition, the locality has important research potential in terms of reconstructing the environment of deposition of the Fuller's Earth Rock.