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 ...

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

, 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 Counties of England, county of Gloucestershire, England. It forms a roughly triangle, triangular plateau bounded by the River Wye to the west and no ...

and provides extensive exposures in the Brownstones of the

Old Red Sandstone Old Red Sandstone, abbreviated ORS, 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 eastern seaboard of North America. It ...

late Lower

Devonian The Devonian ( ) is a period (geology), geologic period and system (stratigraphy), system of the Paleozoic era (geology), era during the Phanerozoic eon (geology), eon, spanning 60.3 million years from the end of the preceding Silurian per ...

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 o ...

(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