Annaside and Gutterby Banks
Also within
Cumbria County LAKE DISTRICT National Park King Charles Way - Whitehaven to Silecroft National Trail
Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SD087861 | — | Favourable | 5.25 | 2014-01-02 |
| SD096849 | — | Favourable | 8.34 | 2014-01-02 |
| SD101842 | — | Favourable | 10.25 | 2014-01-02 |
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: Moraine · Geological Period: Quaternary
Landscape processes: Coastal, Glacial
Description
Description Annaside and Gutterby Banks represent approximately four kilometres of cliff exposures on the southwestern coast of Cumbria about 18 kilometres north west of Barrow in Furness. This site provides important geomorphological and sedimentological evidence of the glacial history of the Cumbrian coast and the Lake District. Extensive exposures through the Quaternary deposits reveal a complex of laterally variable sequence of interbedded tills, sands, gravels and silts. Three main units can be recognised. The oldest, the Selker Till, is related to the Late Devensian 'Main Glaciation' which covered the Cumbrian lowlands and deposited material derived from the Lake District. Above this lies the Annaside Sands and Gravels, a 20 metres thick unit of proglacial material. The overlying Gutterby Spa complex, which comprises sandy tills overlain by a sand and gravel unit, followed by a second till, is interpreted as a sequence of sediments deposited in front of and beneath ice advancing from the Irish Sea. The hummocky topography seen on the surface suggests the presence of a terminal moraine with associated kettle holes. This sequence has been interpreted as having been deposited from a Late Devensian ice sheet, then followed by a readvance of the ice from the Irish Sea, often referred to as the Scottish Readvance. However, such sequences can easily be the product of a single glacial event and recent work on the stretch of coastline has suggested that any readvance in this part of Cumbria may well have been of limited extent. Annaside and Gutterby Banks demonstrate clearly some of the complex sedimentary units and structures associated with ice sheet deglaciation and the problems of interpreting the Quaternary history of a once glacially active landscape. As such the site is of national importance for the study and interpretation of features associated with deglaciation.