Yeadon Brickworks & Railway Cutting
Also within
Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SE192408 | — | Favourable | 0.63 | 2010-06-24 |
| SE193407 | — | Unfavourable Declining | 2.59 | 2022-04-25 |
Geology & landscape
Mining / Industrial: Quarry · Geological Period: Carboniferous
Description
Description This quarry and adjacent railway cutting display an excellent section through the rocks of late Namurian age and the importance of this site is recognised by its being the type locality for the Yeadonian Stage. The site, with its exposures of the Gastrioceras cumbriense Marine Bank and, more importantly, the G. cancellatum Marine Band, marking the base of the Yeadonian, is thus a section of considerable stratigraphic significance in a national and international context. In layman's terms, the interest of this site may be expressed more simply and such a statement is provided below. This should not be taken as definitive and further information as to details of the interest can be obtained from the Nature Conservancy Council. The rock exposures within this site provide a most important cross section through shales and sandstones of the Namurian Series, originally formed about 350 million years ago during the Carboniferous Period of geological history. The shales include important layers rich in the fossil remains of marine animals known as goniatites, which enable geologists to accurately date the rocks and to compare these shales with other rocks of similar age elsewhere in Britain and overseas. The significance of these exposures is widely recognised be geologists and this site has been proposed as the standard for one of the major subdivisions of the Carboniferous Period, named the Yeadonian Stage.