Hackness Rock Pit
Also within
Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SE965906 | — | Favourable | 0.19 | 2014-10-14 |
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 Feature: Rock Outcrop · Mining / Industrial: Quarry · Geological Period: Jurassic
Landscape processes: Coastal
Description
Description This disused quarry, exposing Upper Jurassic rocks belonging to the Langdale Beds and the Hackness Rock, is the type locality for the Hackness Rock and is of very considerable stratigraphical and historical importance. Not only is this the most fossiliferous known outcrop of the Hackness Rock, but it is also the only remaining quarry in the area which was used by William Smith to define the Hackness Rock. The base of the quarry exposes about four metres of massive fine grained sandstones the Hackness Building Stone comprising the Langdale Beds of coronatum Zone age. Above this are two metres of fossiliferous sandstones, sandy limestones and chamosite oolite sandstones and limestones with sandy calcareous nodules; these rocks form the Hackness Rock, of athleta and lamberti Zone age. The Hackness Rock yields a rich and diverse ammonite fauna, in which Kosmoceras and Ouedstedtoceras are particularly common. This site is of vital importance in defining the Hackness Rock of Yorkshire, which is an unusual lateral equivalent of the Middle Oxford Clay of the remainder of England. The rich fauna found here is of value in helping to correlate the sporadic outcrops of Hackness Rock which occur between the Hambleton Hills and the Yorkshire coast around Scarborough. Other Information 1. This site is identified as being of national importance in the Geological Conservation Review. 2. This site lies within the North York Moors National Park.