Wookey Station
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Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ST531463 | — | Favourable | 0.02 | 2021-11-18 |
Geology & landscape
Geological Period: Quaternary
Landscape processes: Glacial
Description
Description The old railway cutting at Wookey, located two kilometres west north west of Wells, exposes a three metre thick sequence of Pleistocene aged cryoturbated gravels which exhibit scour and fill structures in their lower part. A small, silty channel infilling has yielded an assemblage of palynomorph spores including Callitriche sp. recycled by wind action, sand grains showing features consistent with aeolian transport and a molluscan assemblage containing Succinea sp. and Pupilla muscorum. Amino acid dating of these shells suggests that the deposition of these gravels can be correlated with the maximum extent of the last Devensian glacial period. The gravel exposures at Wookey Station are of considerable scientific importance providing a well dated example of sediment deposition contemporaneous with the last glacial maximum and a well exposed example of Mendip fan gravels.