Nightingale Valley

Site of Special Scientific Interest · 51.4718, -2.7949

Also within

Somerset County

Condition (Natural England)

Favourable (1)
UnitFeatureConditionArea (ha)Assessed
ST448750 Favourable 5.55 2012-12-06

Geology & landscape

Geological Feature: Erratic · Geological Period: Quaternary

Landscape processes: Fluvial, Glacial

Description

Area, 5.4 ha. 13.34 ac. Description Pleistocene ‘plateau deposits ’ here cap the high ground at the edge of the Vale of Gordano. The deposits are very variable and include ‘cannon shot’ gravels, fine sandy gravels and silty gravels. A wide range of erratic lithologies have been found. Plio Pleistocene fluvial and marine and Pleistocene glacial environments have in the past been postulated for the origin of these sediments. The site has never been fully described, but has considerable potential importance for the understanding of the Pleistocene sequence in Avon and Somerset.