Lyehill Quarry
Also within
Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP592068 | — | Favourable | 2.8 | 2023-03-13 |
Geology & landscape
Rock Type: Limestone
Description
Area, 3.0 hectares 7.5 ac Description Lyehill Quarries expose the most extensive sections in the Wheatley Limestone, of mid Oxfordian age, here only a kilometre from its type locality. This detrital facies, laterally the time equivalent of the Coral Rag reef facies, was deposited as a series of cross bedded, poorly fossiliferous, fore reef limestones formed on the northern side of the reef. Their original depositional dip is well seen. oyster patch reefs represent evidence of the only faunal elements able to tolerate the unstable substrate which prevailed in Wheatley Limestone times. This is a key Corrallian locality in any facies analysis of the Oxford coral reef area.