Cowthick Quarry
Also within
Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP923883 | — | Destroyed | 1.39 | 2007-05-31 |
| SP925876 | — | Destroyed | 1.39 | 2007-05-31 |
Climate exposure
This is about exposure to a nationwide pressure this habitat type carries — not a verdict on this site's own management.
Coastal habitats are exposed to sea-level rise and storm erosion. Where hard sea defences sit behind them, there's nowhere landward to retreat to — a squeeze that keeps compressing the habitat no matter how well it's managed.
Geology & landscape
Geological Period: Jurassic, Quaternary · Rock Type: Ironstone, Limestone
Landscape processes: Coastal
Description
Area, 1.35 hectares 3.33 ac Description A site of national importance for its geology. Cowthick exposes the best and most instructive sections of their kind in the Middle Jurassic rocks of the Midlands. Its section consists of the Northamptonshire Ironstone, Grantham Formation and Lincolnshire Limestone. The latter is developed as channel infillings cutting in to the underlying Grantham Formation. The northern channel fill includes unique Lower Lincolnshire Limestone below Upper Lincolnshire Limestone, as well as high relief hardgrounds. The southern channel is affected by a major Pleistocene Fault structure which brings about the juxtaposition of six Jurassic formations, from the Upper Lias to the Upper Estuarine ‘Series’.