Land Grove Quarry, Mitcheldean () 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 ...

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

, England, notified in 1974.Natural England SSSI information on the citation
/ref> The site is listed in the 'Forest of Dean Local Plan Review' as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS). The site is a working quarry, but with only small scale quarrying being undertaken. This leaves good exposures as required by the designation.Natural England SSSI information on the Land Grove Quarry, Mitcheldean unit
/ref>

Location and geology

The site is on the north edge of the

Forest of Dean The Forest of Dean is a geographical, historical and cultural region in the western part of the county of Gloucestershire, England. It forms a roughly triangular plateau bounded by the River Wye to the west and northwest, Herefordshire to the n ...

and provides extensive exposures in the

Brownstones Brownstone is a brown Triassic–Jurassic sandstone that was historically a popular building material. The term is also used in the United States and Canada to refer to a townhouse clad in this or any other aesthetically similar material. Type ...

of the

Old Red Sandstone The Old Red Sandstone is an assemblage of rocks in the North Atlantic region largely of Devonian age. It extends in the east across Great Britain, Ireland and Norway, and in the west along the northeastern seaboard of North America. It also exte ...

late Lower

Devonian The Devonian ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic era, spanning 60.3 million years from the end of the Silurian, million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Carboniferous, Mya. It is named after Devon, England, whe ...

period. The sequence of muds, silts, sandstones and conglomerates provides a contrast with the sandstone sequences in the Brownstones (higher) and the Red

Marls Marl is an earthy material rich in carbonate minerals, clays, and silt. When hardened into rock, this becomes marlstone. It is formed in marine or freshwater environments, often through the activities of algae. Marl makes up the lower part ...

(lower). The size of the rivers appears to have increased during the Lower Old Red Sandstone period in South Wales. The proportion of channel sands which have been preserved have increased. The quarry shows a sequence which provides an illustration of an intermediate stage. The quarry is a location for significant research and published papers reference the exposures of the site. The fossil fish remains are also of significant importance being rare in rocks of this age in this location (Welsh Borders and South Wales).

References

SSSI Source

Natural England SSSI information on the citation

Natural England SSSI information on the Land Grove Quarry, Mitcheldean unit

External links

Natural England
(SSSI information) Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire Sites of Special Scientific Interest notified in 1974 Quarries in Gloucestershire Mitcheldean {{England-SSSI-stub