Yeathouse Quarry
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Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NY041169 | — | Favourable | 5.27 | 2012-05-15 |
Geology & landscape
Mining / Industrial: Quarry · Geological Period: Carboniferous, Ordovician · Rock Type: Carboniferous Limestone, Limestone
Description
Area, 4.8 hectares 11.9 ac Description Yeathouse Quarry lies 2.5 kilometres north east of Cleator Moor near the village of Frizington at an altitude of 130 metres. This locality shows important exposures of Carboniferous Limestone and in conjunction with Clints Quarry SSSI provides the best available Dinantian sections on the north west edge of the Lower Carboniferous Cumbrian Shelf. As such these are of critical importance in studies of early Carboniferous palaeogeography. The site shows a variety of clastic and carbonate facies ranging in age from Tournaisian and Arundian, through the Holkerian into the Asbian Stage. The lowest strata rest unconformably on Ordovician Skiddaw Slates. The site has a rich fossil faunal assemblage and, in part, good sedimentary structures. Precise dating and details of the stratigraphy have yet to be elucidated, which gives the site considerable potential for further study.