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| Protected Sites |
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| Kirtlington Quarry SSSI, Oxfordshire |
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| Kirtlington Quarry SSSI, Oxfordshire exposes
limestones, marls and clays which were deposited during the Middle
Jurassic, about 172 million years ago. The fossils in these rocks
indicate that they were deposited in a warm shallow sea, possibly
in lagoons behind a series of islands. Evidence for the presence of
nearby land is provided by the presence of fossil wood, freshwater
algae and crustaceans, disarticulated dinosaur skeletons and very
rare mammal fossils. At certain levels in the quarry, there are indications
that the sea floor had occasionally emerged to become land. |
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| The quarry is especially important because
it has yielded a diverse fauna of Mesozoic mammals from one particular
bed. These fossils are extremely rare and are important for understanding
the origins and early evolution of mammals. The beds which yielded
the mammals have also produced a variety of other vertebrates, including
fishes and crocodiles, but more importantly, early frogs, salamanders
and lizards. |
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| Over a long period, many of the exposures
in the quarry had become overgrown, while others had suffered a talus
build-up as a result of fossil collecting. In addition, the site was
being used for motor-cycle scrambling and other activities, which
were detrimental to the interest. The owners of Kirtlington Quarry,
Blue Circle Cement, leased it to Cherwell District Council, who, with
a range of partners, designed and developed on-site interpretation,
improved access by introducing steps and observation platforms and
restricted vehicular access. Kirtlington Quarry was declared a Local
Nature Reserve. |
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Access steps and signboard at Kirtlington
Quarry SSSI, Oxfordshire. The site is leased by Cherwell District
Council who have declared it as a Local Nature Reserve. |
| Photo: Dave Evans, Natural England |
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