Upware South Pit

Upware South Pit
Site of Special Scientific Interest
LocationCambridgeshire
Grid referenceTL 539 709[1]
InterestGeological
Area1.1 hectares[1]
Notification1989[1]
Location mapMagic Map

Upware South Pit is a 1.1-hectare (2.7-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) north of Upware in Cambridgeshire.[1][2] It is a Geological Conservation Review site.[3]

This site has rocks dating to the Oxfordian stage, around 160 million years ago. It was then a coral reef, and has fossils of bivalves and ammonites, as well as corals, which show affinities with the fauna of the Tethys Ocean. It is described by Natural England as a key site in study of the Oxfordian.[4]

There is access to the site from the Fen Rivers Way north of Upware. A small area of pasture in the north of the site, which is not open to the public, is also part of the Cam Washes biological SSSI.

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Designated Sites View: Upware South Pit". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  2. ^ "Map of Upware South Pit". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  3. ^ "Upware South Pit (Oxfordian)". Joint Nature Conservation Committee. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  4. ^ "Upware South Pit citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
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52°18′54″N 0°15′22″E / 52.315°N 0.256°E / 52.315; 0.256