Lower Dicker

Site of Special Scientific Interest · 50.8784, 0.2118

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Also within

East Sussex County

Condition (Natural England)

Unfavourable Declining (1)
UnitFeatureConditionArea (ha)Assessed
TQ556111 — Unfavourable Declining 0.13 2010-10-21

Habitats

Fast flowing river and stream

Geology & landscape

Mining / Industrial: Quarry · Rock Type: Sandstone

Description

Description The site is a small disused and overgrown quarry about four kilometres north west of Hailsham. Exposures of a sand member are present in the quarry. The sand is conventionally assigned to the Clock House Sand Member this equates to British Geological Survey Bed 3 of the lower division of the Weald Clay. The sandstone units of the Weald Clay Group represent river deposits which periodically extended into the Wealden lake or lagoon. The sandstones are important as lithostratigraphical markers and are considered to reflect the effects of tectonic uplift in the hinterland. The mineralogy of these sandstones reflects their provenance and they are therefore of great importance for understanding the changes which took place in the palaeogeography of the Weald. Upper Dicker provides the most southerly exposure of any of the Weald Clay sand members in Britain. It is also important for marking the furthest known extension eastwards of Cornubian debris including high K feldspar, tourmaline and tourmaline aggregates as well as other minerals characteristic of a Cornubian source area, indicating the presence of a river system extending out of south west England at this time.

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