Inchcoonans Claypit
Also within
Condition (NatureScot)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | Quaternary of Scotland | Favourable | — | 2005-03-31 |
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
Landscape processes: Coastal, Glacial
Description
INCHCOONANS CLAYPIT Inchcoonans Claypit is located 1km north-west of Errol, between Perth and Dundee. Inchcoonans is the type locality for the Errol Beds, a sequence of fossil-bearing marine sediments which occur on the east coast of Scotland in the Forth, Tay and South Esk estuaries, and offshore along the coast from the Forth to Aberdeen. These sediments were deposited during the waning of the last major ice sheet to cover the country. Typical species present include the bivalves Portlandia arctica, Palliolum groenlandicum and the ostracod Rabilimia mirabilis, all of which are now present only in the Arctic Seas showing that the seas on the east coast of Scotland were much colder then than they are now. These sediments are raised above the coast as relative sea level is now lower than when the sediments were deposited. This is therefore a key site for interpreting relative sea level and environmental conditions during the early part of the Late glacial period – around 13000 -10000 years ago.