Wansunt Pit is a geological
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...
in
Dartford Heath between
Crayford
Crayford is a town and electoral ward in South East London, England, within the London Borough of Bexley. It lies east of Bexleyheath and north west of Dartford. Crayford was in the historic county of Kent until 1965. The settlement deve ...
in the
London Borough of Bexley and
Dartford
Dartford is the principal town in the Borough of Dartford, Kent, England. It is located south-east of Central London and
is situated adjacent to the London Borough of Bexley to its west. To its north, across the Thames estuary, is Thurrock in ...
in
Kent. It is also a
Geological Conservation Review site. It is important geologically because it exposes the Dartford Heath Gravel, and the relationship of this exposure to the Swanscombe sequence and the Thames Terraces is a controversial issue in Thames
Pleistocene studies. The site is part of
Braeburn Park
Braeburn Park is a nature reserve in Crayford in the London Borough of Bexley. It is managed by the London Wildlife Trust, and includes Wansunt Pit, a geological Site of Special Scientific Interest.
The area was once used for market gardeni ...
, a nature reserve managed by the
London Wildlife Trust.
Archaeology
The site is also important archaeologically. Excavations going back over a hundred years have revealed stone tools of
Homo Heidelbergensis, dating from
Marine Isotopic Stage 11
Marine Isotope Stage 11 or MIS 11 is a Marine Isotope Stage in the geologic temperature record, covering the interglacial period between 424,000 and 374,000 years ago. It corresponds to the Hoxnian Stage in Britain.
Interglacial periods which oc ...
, equivalent to the geological
Hoxnian Stage, an
interglacial
An interglacial period (or alternatively interglacial, interglaciation) is a geological interval of warmer global average temperature lasting thousands of years that separates consecutive glacial periods within an ice age. The current Holocene in ...
period between 424,000 and 374,000 years ago. Other finds include sixteen
Bronze Age axes and seventeen
Iron Age gold armlets.
The site
The site is divided into two units. The first is crossed by Galloway Drive and the second, which is inaccessible, is north west of Denton Road. Both are in an unfavourable condition.
Natural England, Wansunt Pit Unit 2
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See also
* List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Greater London
In England, Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) are designated by Natural England, which is responsible for protecting England's natural environment. Designation as an SSSI gives legal protection to the most important wildlife and geolo ...
* List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Kent
Kent is a county in the south-eastern corner of England. It is bounded to the north by Greater London and the Thames Estuary, to the west by Sussex and Surrey, and to the south and east by the English channel and the North Sea. The county tow ...
References
Further reading
Lynne Bevan, Robert Hosfield et al (2005) ''Refitting Palaeolithic Artefacts from Wansunt Pit'', Lithics 24
{{SSSIs Greater London
Sites of Special Scientific Interest in London
Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Kent
Geology of London
Geology of Kent
Geological Conservation Review sites