Buckover Road Cutting
Also within
Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ST666906 | — | Unfavourable Declining | 1.6 | 2010-05-19 |
Description
Area, 1.7 ha. 4.1 ac. Description Brinkmarsh Formation strata exposed in the Buckover Cutting afford the best exposure of younger horizons of late Wenlock age of this lithostratigraphic unit. This site is of particular interest for providing full coverage of the Tortworth Wenlock, as the late 19th century established localities in this higher part of the Brinkmarsh Formation are now no longer available. Fossils collected from the Buckover section enable dating of these beds in the inlier, there having been historical debate as to whether this general horizon was of Wenlockor Ludlow age. The sequence of medium to coarse clastics and impure carbonates exposed here make it possible for geologists to make palaeoenvironmental and palaeogeographic reconstructions for the Tortworth area. In early Wenlock times the area was situated at or about the transition between an arenaceous shoreline and a carbonate platform area.