Geordie Craigs

Site of Special Scientific Interest · 57.6620, -2.3445

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Also within

Banffshire County

Condition (NatureScot)

Unfavourable Declining (1) Favourable (1)
UnitFeatureConditionArea (ha)Assessed
F1 Non-marine Devonian Unfavourable Declining — 2018-12-10
F2 Silurian - Devonian Chordata Favourable — 2015-02-13

Climate exposure

This is about exposure to a nationwide pressure this habitat type carries — not a verdict on this site's own management.

Coastal

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.

Habitats

Fast flowing river and stream

Geology & landscape

Geological Feature: Rock Outcrop · Geological Period: Devonian, Silurian · Rock Type: Breccia, Conglomerate

Landscape processes: Coastal

Description

GEORDIE CRAIGS Geordie Craigs is located in the Den of Findon, by the north coast of Aberdeenshire at Gardenstown. Non-marine Devonian The Den of Findon is the ‘type area’ for the Middle Devonian (397-385 million years old) rocks of the ‘Findon Group’ (now ‘Gardenstown Conglomerate Formation’). It is also an important section of rock outcrop for locating the Findon Fish Bed (formerly ‘Gamrie Fish Bed’) within the Middle Devonian rock sequence. The fish bed, a band of fine-grained lake-deposited sediments within the otherwise river-deposited conglomerate sequence, marks the period of maximum lake extent within the Orcadian Basin. The Devonian rock outcrops at Geordie Craigs, together with outcrops in the Gamrie and Pennan Coast SSSI, form the best section through Lower and Middle Devonian age rocks in this south-eastern part of the Orcadian Basin. Silurian - Devonian Chordata The site is important for its fossil fish fauna, found in two metres of limey nodules in the red and grey clays of the ‘Findon Fish Bed’ (formerly known as the ‘Gamrie Fish Bed’). This occurs within the thick sequence of conglomerate and breccia of the ‘Gardenstown Conglomerate Formation’ (formerly ‘Findon Group’). Fossil fish were first discovered within the nodules in 1826. Since then a vast amount of very well preserved material has been found with twelve species being discovered. The sediments are of Middle Devonian age, and the fish are those that are found elsewhere in Scotland in the Eifelian age (397-391 million years old) ‘Achanarras horizon’. The Findon Fish Bed marks the easternmost extension of the ‘Achanarras horizon’ lake. The site is interesting ecologically because a rich and diverse fauna occurs within sediments which would seem to have been deposited in an unfavourable and restricted environment. Articulated acanthodians are common here. Two of the three syntypes of Diplacanthus tenuistriatus are from this site. Many specimens of other species of fish from here have been figured in the early literature.

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