Comb Beck

Site of Special Scientific Interest · 54.5236, -3.2651

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Also within

Cumbria County LAKE DISTRICT National Park

Condition (Natural England)

Favourable (1)
UnitFeatureConditionArea (ha)Assessed
NY182149 — Favourable 0.5 2010-12-13

Habitats

Fast flowing river and stream

Description

Description Comb Beck is a small site in west Cumbria, on the fellside south west of Buttermere. It is an area of hillside and stream bed with exposures of a mineral vein up to two metres wide. The Lake District forms a geographically well defined base metal orefield. Sulphide mineralisation occurs as vein deposits and is notably diverse in terms of both the nature of the ores and their age. A quartz vein, up to two metres wide, is exposed in the side of a tributary stream of Comb Beck. The vein contains patches of copper and lead mineralisation, mainly in the form of galena, chalcopyrite and minor chalcocite. Traces of pyromorphite are present locally but the most significant mineralogical feature is the presence of well formed crystals of wulfenite. This site is one of the very few sites in Britain where wulfenite can be seen in situ.

Plant communities

A9 — Fast flowing river and stream, Marginal and inundation, Pond ditch and canal, Sluggish river and stream

Potamogeton natans community

Schoenoplectus lacustris, Juncus bulbosus, Sparganium angustifolium, Sparganium erectum, Sparganium minimum, Alisma plantago-aquatica, Lobelia dortmanna, Equisetum fluviatile, Myriophyllum alterniflorum, Elodea canadensis, Lemna minor, Lemna trisulca, Nymphaea alba, Callitriche platycarpa, Callitriche stagnalis, Littorella uniflora, Potamogeton natans, Ranunculus trichophyllus, Glyceria fluitans, Chara subspinosa

A14 — Fast flowing river and stream

Myriophyllum alterniflorum community

Isolepis fluitans, Juncus bulbosus, Fontinalis antipyretica, Lobelia dortmanna, Equisetum fluviatile, Myriophyllum alterniflorum, Lemna minor, Callitriche stagnalis, Littorella uniflora, Potamogeton filiformis, Potamogeton gramineus, Potamogeton natans, Ranunculus peltatus, Chara spp., Nitella hyalina

A17 — Chalk river and stream, Fast flowing river and stream

Ranunculus penicillatus ssp. pseudofluitans community

Berula erecta, Nasturtium officinale, Elodea canadensis, Lemna minor, Callitriche stagnalis, Veronica beccabunga, Polygonum amphibium, Polygonum hydropiper, Potamogeton crispus, Potamogeton pectinatus, Ranunculus penicillatus ssp. pseudofluitans

A18 — Fast flowing river and stream

Ranunculus fluitans community

Fontinalis antipyretica, Fontinalis squamosa var. curnowii, Myriophyllum alterniflorum, Myriophyllum spicatum, Elodea canadensis, Mentha aquatica, Lemna gibba, Lemna minor, Potamogeton perfoliatus, Ranunculus fluitans, Glyceria fluitans, Phalaris arundinacea