Waterswallows Quarry
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Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SK082750 | — | Favourable | 0.7 | 2012-10-25 |
Geology & landscape
Geological Feature: Igneous Intrusion · Mining / Industrial: Quarry · Rock Type: Limestone
Landscape processes: Volcanic / Igneous
Description
Description Waterswallows Quarry lies approximately one kilometre to the north east of Buxton. The location chosen to demonstrate the special interest of this site is a quarry face approximately 260 metres long. It is situated in the north west face of the quarry. The exposure shows part of an olivine phyric dolerite sill which has been intruded into Dinantian limestone. The sill, which is tholeiitic in composition, shows internal variations in both mineralogy and texture at this site which may reflect pre intrusive differentiation. It is thought that the sill was emplaced at a time equivalent to the Namurian Westphalian Boundary and thus represents a phase of magmatism much later than the Dinantian lavas of Derbyshire.