Cook's Wood Quarry
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Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ST668477 | — | Favourable | 0.79 | 2012-03-28 |
| ST670477 | — | Favourable | 0.79 | 2012-03-28 |
Geology & landscape
Mining / Industrial: Quarry · Geological Period: Carboniferous · Rock Type: Carboniferous Limestone, Limestone
Description
Description This large quarry, in active use, is located one kilometre north east of Stoke St Michael, in the eastern Mendip Hills. The main exposures, adjacent to Bector Lane and immediately south of Cook’s Wood, are cut invery steeply dipping Carboniferous Limestone. This was the original locality for the type section of the proposed ‘Cookswoodian Stage’. The quarry provides exposures of an approximately 200 metres thick succession comprising massive and well bedded bioclastic and oolitic limestones of the Hotwells Group Asbian and the upper part of the Clifton Down Group Holkerian. Cook’s Wood Quarry provides one of the best Asbian sections in the eastern Mendips, recording the transition from a carbonate ramp to a shelf setting and displaying eustatic cycles which may be correlated with those recorded in central and northern Britain.