Five Oaks, Bampton
Also within
Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SS950221 | — | Favourable | 0.58 | 2014-03-14 |
Geology & landscape
Geological Period: Carboniferous
Description
Five Oaks, Bampton SSSI Description This is the most informative of the few localities in Devon to expose a conformable boundary between very different Lower and Upper Carboniferous sedimentary sequences. Fossils from here, and other exposures around Bampton, indicate that this important transition occurred during late Visean times. Fine-grained limestones, accumulating in deep water, became inundated by black muds and sands which effectively infilled the marine basin and eventually brought about a change to shallow water, deltaic conditions. The source of the coarse sediment was a large, eroding landmass situated in the region of mid and north Wales. An important site in the palaeogeographic and sedimentary analysis of Carboniferous rocks in southern Britain.