Kensworth Chalk Pit
131.3 hectare geological site of Special Scientific Interest
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kensworth Chalk Quarry is a 131.3-hectare (324-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Kensworth in Bedfordshire. It was notified under Section 28 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, and the local planning authority is Central Bedfordshire.[1][2]
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
| |
| Location | Bedfordshire |
|---|---|
| Grid reference | TL015197 |
| Interest | Geological |
| Area | 131.3 hectares |
| Notification | 1988 |
| Location map | Magic Map |
The site is a large working quarry which exposes fossiliferous chalk rocks of the late Cretaceous, with many rare fossils including ammonites. Natural England describes it as "an unrivalled locality for stratigraphic studies in the Upper Cretaceous".[1][3] It is a Geological Conservation Review site, and one succession of layers is the stratotype for the "Kensworth Nodular Chalk Member".[4]
There is no public access.[3]
