Hurcott Lane Cutting

Also within

Somerset County

Condition (Natural England)

Geology & landscape

Geological Period: Jurassic

Description

Description Hurcott Lane Cutting is located approximately one kilometre south of Shepton Beauchamp and four kilometres north east of Ilminster. The site includes the eastern and western sides of the sunken lane and extends south from the Hurcott Shepton Beauchamp crossroads for a distance of 215 metres. The rocks exposed in the lane cutting comprise Lower Jurassic Toarcian aged rubbly to massive pale limestones and marls belonging to the 'Barrington Member' of the Upper Lias 'Junction Bed' Formation. The total sequence exposed is at least 2.6 metres thick and includes a capping of upper Toarcian Yeovil Sands. The 'Junction Bed' strata are very fossiliferous, yielding numerous ammonites including the characteristic genera Harpoceras, Hildoceras, Dactylioceras, Haugia, Phymatoceras, Grammoceras and Pseudogrammoceras. Hildoceratid ammonites are prevalent over dactylioceratid forms and represent a virtually complete sequence through the 'Junction Bed' facies encompassing the Falciferum upper part, Bifrons, Variabilis and Thouarsense Zones. The Bifrons Zone also commonly contains fossil belemnites, bivalves and nautiloids, Cenoceras. Hurcott Lane Cutting is the best available representative section through the classic 'Junction Bed' facies of south Somerset and provides a suitable reference locality for the formal definition of the 'Barrington Member'. The site is of national importance for Toarcian biostratigraphy and palaeobiogeography. The ammonite faunas are of particular importance for international correlation and show strong Sub Mediterranean affinities.