Fognam Chalk Quarry
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Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SU297799 | — | Favourable | 2.98 | 2018-05-10 |
Geology & landscape
Mining / Industrial: Quarry · Geological Period: Cretaceous · Rock Type: Chalk
Description
Area, 3.1 hectares 7.66 ac Description This disused quarry provides the best section anywhere in southern England of the thin unit lying near the base of the Upper Chalk and known as the Chalk Rock. This unit, together with the chalk above and below it, was laid down on the floor of a warm sea which covered a large part of Europe during late Cretaceous times, about 80 million years ago. Of particular importance is the fact that the rock sequence lying beneath the Chalk Rock at Fognam is quite different to that seen anywhere else in Britain and also contains ammonite fossils which are of great value for relating this sequence to similar sequences elsewhere in Europe.