Castle Bytham Quarry
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Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SK989179 | — | Unfavourable Declining | 5.51 | 2022-03-30 |
Geology & landscape
Mining / Industrial: Quarry · Geological Period: Jurassic · Rock Type: Limestone
Description
Area,5.5 ha Description The geological interest of this site, in technical terms, may be defined as follows, The Castle Lime Works quarry provides one of the most complete and stratigraphically significant exposures of the Upper Lincolnshire Limestone Formation. In particular, its unique Laeviuscula Zone ammonite fauna has been of critical importance for the overall dating of the formation and its correlation with the Inferior Oolite of southern England and coeval deposits in Europe. In layman's terms, the interest of this site may be expressed more simply and such a statement is provided below. This should not be taken as definitive and further information as to details of the interest can be obtained from the Nature Conservancy Council. This locality exposes one of the most complete sequences which exist within the Upper Lincolnshire Limestone Formation, laid down during Middle Jurassic times, about 170 million years ago. A diagnostic assemblage of ammonite fossils occurs within these rocks, enabling geologists to determinethe age of the Upper Lincolnshire Limestone relative to other rock units elsewhere in England and on the continent. At other localities in the Upper Lincolnshire Limestone, ammonites are very rare.