Milton Ness
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Condition (NatureScot)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | Non-marine Devonian | Favourable | — | 2024-08-14 |
| F2 | Quaternary of Scotland | Favourable | — | 2024-08-14 |
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.
Habitats
Geology & landscape
Geological Feature: Raised Beach · Geological Period: Carboniferous, Devonian, Quaternary
Landscape processes: Coastal, Fluvial, Glacial
Description
Milton Ness Milton Ness is located on the east coast of Scotland, about 10 km north of Montrose. Non-marine Devonian At Milton Ness, rock of the Upper Devonian to earliest Lower Carboniferous age (approximately 375-345 million years old) ‘Kinnesswood Formation’ is exposed. The rock is formed from river channel deposits laid down by a migrating river system on an alluvial plain. The site provides one of the best examples in Scotland of mature carbonate soil (calcrete) observed in the rock record from this period or any earlier Devonian (416-359 million years ago) period. It is also one of the very few examples of this age in Britain where soil development to a stage of laminated hardpan is recorded. Rhizoliths (roots encased in mineral matter) are exposed in the site and are some of the finest examples seen in any rocks of Palaeozoic age (542-251 million years old). Quaternary of Scotland The site demonstrates important features of Late Devensian and Holocene changes in relative sea-level in eastern Scotland. It provides a rare combination of both geomorphological and detailed sedimentary evidence. An intertidal rock platform, of uncertain age but at least in part pre-dating the last glaciation, is succeeded landward by a raised beach of Holocene age and two higher beaches of Late Devensian age. The structure and composition of the beaches are well revealed in section on the south side of the headland. The assemblage of features at Milton Ness represents several important facets of the coastal evolution of eastern Scotland.
Plant communities
A9 — Fast flowing river and stream, Marginal and inundation, Pond ditch and canal, Sluggish river and stream
Potamogeton natans community
Show 20 indicator speciesSchoenoplectus 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
Show 15 indicator speciesIsolepis 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
Show 11 indicator speciesBerula 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
Show 12 indicator speciesFontinalis 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