Wilmington Quarry
Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SY208996 | — | Unfavourable Declining | 18.27 | 2024-01-24 |
| SY208997 | — | Favourable | 2.08 | 2009-03-18 |
| SY209997 | — | Unfavourable Declining | 2.45 | 2024-01-24 |
Climate exposure
This is about exposure to a nationwide pressure this habitat type carries — not a verdict on this site's own management.
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
Geological Period: Cretaceous · Rock Type: Greensand, Limestone
Landscape processes: Coastal
Description
Area, 22.0 ha. 54.3 ac. Description The type locality and at present the only exposure of the Cenomanian Wilmington Sands. These sands fill a depression in the underlying Upper Greensand and are a quartz sand facies laterally equivalent to the lowest part of the Cenomanian Limestone seen on the coast. The sands and particularly the 'Grizzle' limestone overlying the sands yield a large and abundant shelly fauna that includes crab carapaces, unknown from other localities. A key site for its rich fauna and for its bearing on facies changes in the Upper Cretaceous.