Fern House Gravel Pit

Fern House Gravel Pit
Site of Special Scientific Interest
LocationBuckinghamshire
Grid referenceSU883885
InterestGeological
Area1.3 hectares
Notification1986
Location mapMagic Map

Fern House Gravel Pit is a 1.3-hectare (3.2-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Fern, near Bourne End in Buckinghamshire.[1][2] It is also a Geological Conservation Review site.[3][4]

This site exposes the Pleistocene Taplow Gravel formation, and may help to elucidate a poorly understood period in the history of the River Thames, between glacial Anglian stage, around 450,000 years ago, when the river was diverted south to its present course, and the warm Ipswichian around 120,000 years ago. Fossils found at the site include straight-tusked elephants and mammoths.[4][5]

The site is on private land with no public access.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fern House Gravel Pit.

References

  1. ^ "Fern House Gravel Pit citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  2. ^ "Map of Fern House Gravel Pit". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  3. ^ "Fern House Gravel Pit (Quaternary of the Thames)". Joint Nature Conservation Committee. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  4. ^ a b Bridgland, D. R. (1994). "Fern House Gravel Pit". Quaternary of the Thames. Springer. ISBN 9789401107051.
  5. ^ "Fern House Gravel Pit SSSI". Bucks Geology. Retrieved 28 February 2016.

51°35′18″N 0°43′36″W / 51.5884°N 0.7268°W / 51.5884; -0.7268