Morroch Bay
Also within
Condition (NatureScot)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | Llandeilo | Favourable | — | 2016-10-03 |
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
Geological Period: Ordovician
Landscape processes: Coastal
Description
Morroch Bay Morroch Bay Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) lies 2km southeast of Portpatrick on the west side of The Rhins. The foreshore and adjacent areas at this site expose Glenkiln and Hartfell black shales and cherts of Llandeilo – Caradoc age in association with overlying greywackes of the Caradoc-aged Portpatrick Formation. The shales and cherts are of controversial age but the lowest beds have yielded Llandeilo conodonts, and are overlain by beds yielding a rich fauna of graptolites belonging to the Nemagraptus gracilis Biozone. Although the site has long been known to geologists, the strata have been subject to much tectonism and have not proved easy to interpret. This is a key site with great potential for research into Ordovician stratigraphy and the geological evolution of the western part of the Southern Uplands.