Littlemore Railway Cutting
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Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP530027 | — | Unfavourable Declining | 0.5 | 2012-06-26 |
Geology & landscape
Geological Period: Jurassic · Rock Type: Limestone
Description
Area, 0.5 hectares 1.3 ac Description This locality shows a remarkable deposit of mid Oxfordian Jurassic age of considerable palaeographic and environmental interest. The cutting has exposures of the limestone and clay units of the Littlemore Clay. This was laid down at the same time as the Coral Rag reefs which covered most of the Oxford area during the tenuiseratum ammonite zone. The clay was apparently deposited within a narrow channel between the coral reefs of the Rag. Thus here there is an indentation into the northern margin of the Oxford reef and a deposit which can be traced laterally into these reefs. A key site instudies of sedimentation and facies change in the Oxford reef area.