Godminster Lane Quarry and Railway Cutting

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Godminster Lane Quarry and Railway Cutting (grid reference ST682345) is a 0.8 hectare geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Somerset, notified in 1971.

Ammonite species, Jurassic era
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Ammonite species, Jurassic era

This is an important locality for study of the Inferior Oolite limestones, of Middle Jurassic age, laid down in a warm shallow sea some 175 million years ago. The site is unique in that the limestones seen here are much more closely comparable with rocks of similar age found in the Cotswolds than with rock sequences seen elsewhere in Somerset. However, the rocks do contain the rich assemblage of fossil ammonites which are typical of the north Dorset/south Somerset area and it is this feature, combined with the unusual limestone sequence, which makes this site unique. It is also important as a reference site for three sub-divisions (zones) of the Inferior Oolite - the laeviscula, discites and concavum Zones.

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Geological Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Somerset
Summarised data for all sites (biological and geological)

Ben Knowle | Blue Anchor to Lilstock Coast | Brean Down | Brimble Pit and Cross Swallet Basins | Bruton Railway Cutting | Cheddar Complex | Cloford Quarry | Cook's Wood Quarry | Crook Peak to Shute Shelve Hill | Doulting Railway Cutting | Emborough Quarries | Glenthorne | Godminster Lane Quarry and Railway Cutting | Greylake | Ham Hill | Hobbs Quarry | Holwell Quarries | Hurcott Farm | Hurcott Lane Cutting | Lamb Leer | Langport Railway Cutting | Laycock Railway Cutting | Leighton Road Cutting | Low Ham | Maes Down | Maesbury Railway Cutting | Miller's Hill, Milborne Wick | Moon's Hill Quarry | Priddy Caves | Priddy Pools | Rodney Stoke SSSI | Sandpit Hole and Bishop's Lot | Seavington St. Mary | Shepton Montague Railway Cutting | Snowdon Hill Quarry | St. Dunstan's Well Catchment | Thrupe Lane Swallet | Vallis Vale | Viaduct Quarry | Windsor Hill Quarry | Wookey Hole | Wookey Station | Wurt Pit and Devil's Punchbowl
Neighbouring areas: Avon | Devon | Dorset | Wiltshire