River Line

Site of Special Scientific Interest · 50.9460, 0.4421

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Also within

East Sussex County High Weald Scenic Area

Condition (Natural England)

Favourable (1)
UnitFeatureConditionArea (ha)Assessed
TQ716191 — Favourable 2.15 2009-12-18

Habitats

Fast flowing river and stream

Geology & landscape

Geological Feature: Rock Outcrop · Geological Period: Cretaceous, Jurassic · Rock Type: Ironstone, Limestone

Description

Description This site comprises a section of river just east of Netherfield in East Sussex which cuts through a lithologically varied sequence of Purbeck Beds, including marine horizons. The section exposed runs from the Blues Limestones through the Plant and Bone Beds, the Cinder Bed, Arenaceous Beds, the Shales with Ironstone to the Greys Limestone. Such a section is unrivalled in the inliers of Sussex. The correlations of the Purbeck Beds of Sussex with those of the type seen in Dorset and elsewhere in southern England is disputed. Palynological spore evidence indicates that these rocks are considerably younger than beds in Dorset; most of the section post dating the Purbeck Beds of more westerly areas. Evidence provided by ostracods, fossil crustaceans, much more tied to facies than spores and lithological similarities contradict this correlation. These sections are of great importance in studies of late Jurassic early Cretaceous environments and correlations, affording more opportunity to study these rocks in the limited outcrop of the Sussex inliers.

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