Laycock Railway Cutting
Also within
Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ST678213 | — | Unfavourable Declining | 1.16 | 2023-01-18 |
Description
Area, 1.26 ha. 3.11 ac. Description Laycock Railway Cutting is the best single exposure of the Bathonian 'Fuller's Earth Rock' in South Somerset. This unit comprises limestones and thin marls which often yield a good marine shelly fauna. In particular, ammonites indicating the Morrisi and Subcontractus zones of the Middle Bathonian are frequent. Ammonites are generally extremely rare at this level in Britain and their presence at Laycock is of international stratigraphic importance. The 'Fullers Earth Rock' succession at Laycock includes a typical development of the Milbourne Beds in their type area and is important for illustrating the lateral transition of this unit into the Lingulifera Bed and Thornford Beds of North Dorset. The combination of features of both litho and chrono stratigraphical importance make Laycock Railway Cutting a key British Bathonian locality.