Melmerby Road Section
Also within
Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NY622383 | — | Unfavourable Declining | 0.16 | 2024-08-26 |
Geology & landscape
Geological Period: Ordovician · Rock Type: Limestone
Description
Area, 0.2 hectares 0.49 ac. Description This site comprises a cutting on the east side of the Melmerby to Alston Road, about 1.3 kilometres north east of Melmerby, which is of interest for its geology. This road cutting provides the only known occurrence of rock strata known as the Melmerby Beds. These formed about 430 million years ago during the Longvillian Stage of the Ordovician Period of geological time and consist of brownish mudstones and shales, with nodular limestone layers near the base. The rocks contain abundant fossil fragments of a wide variety of organisms; these fossils are of considerable value in comparison with rock strata of similar age elsewhere in Britain and provide the key to accurate dating of this rock formation. In addition, a number of forms of trilobite were first collected and described from here; Melmerby Road Section is thus the reference locality for these fossil forms.