Throstle Shaw and Sandbeds Fan
Also within
Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NY234290 | — | Favourable | 2.79 | 2013-02-20 |
| NY236272 | — | Favourable | 0.05 | 2013-02-20 |
Geology & landscape
Mining / Industrial: Quarry
Landscape processes: Periglacial
Description
Description Throstle Shaw and Sandbeds Fan comprise a 50 metres long roadside exposure and a small disused quarry on the western and north western sides respectively of Dodd Wood, located approximately six kilometres north west of Keswick. Both localities expose sequences of silty and sandy gravels which were deposited during the severe climatic conditions of the Loch Lomond Stadial. Periglacial slope deposits at Throstle Shaw are represented by a lower unit of poorly sorted, silty and sandy gravels which is overlain by an upper unit of well sorted bedded gravels. The former have been interpreted as a debris flow deposit which is comparable with the debris fan sediments exposed at Sandbeds Fan. Here a series of fine to coarse gravels contain an in filled channel feature. Throstle Shaw and Sandbeds Fan provide key morphological and sedimentological evidence for the highly active geomorphological processes which were modifying the landscape during the Loch Lomond Stadial. The sites are of national importance for helping elucidate the geomorphology and palaeogeography of the northern Lake District at this time.