Richmond Farm Pit, Gedgrave

Site of Special Scientific Interest · 52.0888, 1.5196

Condition (Natural England)

Favourable (1)
UnitFeatureConditionArea (ha)Assessed
TM412492 Favourable 0.57 2021-11-15

Geology & landscape

Mining / Industrial: Quarry · Geological Period: Neogene

Description

Area, 0.5 ha. 1.2 ac. Description This site is of geological importance for the study of the formation and stratigraphy of Coralline Crag deposited in the Pliocene age. It is especially notable for the excellent exposure of the sandwave facies of the Coralline Crag. The faces of the quarry show almost six metres of crag with well defined large scale cross stratification current bedding. The Coralline Crag at this site is notable for the extreme sparseness of recognisable fossil fauna, in marked contrast to the renowned collecting localities in this formation elsewhere. This is due to prolonged transportation effects in these facies, which abraded shells to mere fragments. This pit was recorded by Harmer in1898 and was probably one of the sections considered as the basis for his Gedgravian Crag division. This pit is therefore of great historical as well as sedimentological interest.