Buckanay Farm Pit, Alderton

Site of Special Scientific Interest · 52.0299, 1.4335

Condition (Natural England)

Favourable (1)
UnitFeatureConditionArea (ha)Assessed
TM356424 Favourable 0.71 2021-11-15

Climate exposure

This is about exposure to a nationwide pressure this habitat type carries — not a verdict on this site's own management.

Coastal

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

Landscape processes: Coastal

Description

Area, 0.75 ha. 1.85 ac. Description Buckanay Farm Pit is an important geological locality for demonstrating the sedimentological characteristics of the Red Crag. Within the Red Crag there is a range of sedimentary structures indicating initially shallow water, then a deepening to about 60 metres and finally a shallowing to 5 -10 metres. A series of pits and cliff sections are required to demonstrate the full range of structures. Buckanay Farm Pit shows a megaripple sequence declining in amplitude upwards, demonstrating shallowing of the Red Cragsea. The pit shows the sequence extremely well and the deposits are also fossiliferous.