Dee Cliffs, Farndon

Site of Special Scientific Interest · 53.0820, -2.8760

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Also within

Cheshire County

Condition (Natural England)

Favourable (3)
UnitFeatureConditionArea (ha)Assessed
SJ410545 — Favourable 2.04 2013-02-20
SJ412544 — Favourable 2.04 2013-02-20
SJ414542 — Favourable 2.04 2013-02-20

Habitats

Fast flowing river and stream

Geology & landscape

Geological Period: Triassic

Landscape processes: Fluvial

Description

Area, 1.93 ha. 4.77 ac. Description The Dee Cliffs section at this locality exposes a sequence of strata within the Lower Triassic Chester Pebble Beds Formation. The sequence comprises sandstones and pebbly sandstones with large scale, tabular cross stratification, smaller scale, trough cross stratification and planar, horizontal bedding. Sand body units are separated by prominent erosion surfaces. Palaeocurrent directions are generally towards the west. The depositional environment can be interpreted as that of a low sinuousity, sandy, braided river which drained west and north west towards the Irish Sea Basin. The site is significant because it provides a good opportunity to study the characteristic features and sedimentary structures of sandy braided rivers typical of the Lower Triassic. The Chester Pebble Beds are more fine grained than their equivalents further south in the Cheshire Basin.

Plant communities

A9 — Fast flowing river and stream, Marginal and inundation, Pond ditch and canal, Sluggish river and stream

Potamogeton natans community

Schoenoplectus lacustris, Juncus bulbosus, Sparganium angustifolium, Sparganium erectum, Sparganium minimum, Alisma plantago-aquatica, Lobelia dortmanna, Equisetum fluviatile, Myriophyllum alterniflorum, Elodea canadensis, Lemna minor, Lemna trisulca, Nymphaea alba, Callitriche platycarpa, Callitriche stagnalis, Littorella uniflora, Potamogeton natans, Ranunculus trichophyllus, Glyceria fluitans, Chara subspinosa

A14 — Fast flowing river and stream

Myriophyllum alterniflorum community

Isolepis fluitans, Juncus bulbosus, Fontinalis antipyretica, Lobelia dortmanna, Equisetum fluviatile, Myriophyllum alterniflorum, Lemna minor, Callitriche stagnalis, Littorella uniflora, Potamogeton filiformis, Potamogeton gramineus, Potamogeton natans, Ranunculus peltatus, Chara spp., Nitella hyalina

A17 — Chalk river and stream, Fast flowing river and stream

Ranunculus penicillatus ssp. pseudofluitans community

Berula erecta, Nasturtium officinale, Elodea canadensis, Lemna minor, Callitriche stagnalis, Veronica beccabunga, Polygonum amphibium, Polygonum hydropiper, Potamogeton crispus, Potamogeton pectinatus, Ranunculus penicillatus ssp. pseudofluitans

A18 — Fast flowing river and stream

Ranunculus fluitans community

Fontinalis antipyretica, Fontinalis squamosa var. curnowii, Myriophyllum alterniflorum, Myriophyllum spicatum, Elodea canadensis, Mentha aquatica, Lemna gibba, Lemna minor, Potamogeton perfoliatus, Ranunculus fluitans, Glyceria fluitans, Phalaris arundinacea