Blackhorse Quarry

Blackhorse Quarry

Site of Special Scientific Interest
Shown within East Sussex
Area of Search	East Sussex
Grid reference	TQ769142
Coordinates	50°54′N 0°31′E / 50.90°N 0.52°E / 50.90; 0.52Coordinates: 50°54′N 0°31′E / 50.90°N 0.52°E / 50.90; 0.52
Interest	Geological
Area	0.19 ha (0.47 acres)
Notification	1989 (1989)
Natural England website

Blackhorse Quarry is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in East Sussex, England and is of geological interest.The site has a great value of vertebrate palaeontological interest, it is the type locality for the Wadhurst Clay Telham Bond Bed. The bone bed is a conglomerate of polished pebbles (indicating a former high energy surface), fish scales, coprolites, bones, teeth and scutes. The reptiles recorded include turtles, crocodiles (Goniopholis), pterosaurs (Ornithocheirus), and dinosaurs (Megalosaurus, Cetiosaurus, Iguanodon Hylaeosaurus). This site has yielded large numbers of specimens in the past, and it has excellent potential for further finds.

Wealden interest
The Telham Pebble (Bone) Bed yielded a wealth of vertebrate remains during the mid- 19th century from the Black Horse quarry on Telham Hill. This classic and important site has great potential for the study of this rock and its faunas. The vertebrate material comprised fish, coprolites and a wide variety of reptiles. Being equivalent to the Cliff End Pebble Bed, this is a prime prospect for early mammals. Inorganic debris includes extrabasinal pebbles. The underlying Cliff End Sandstone Member here is calcareous (Tilgate Stone) facies and probably only the proximal (pro-fan-delta) facies is developed. It also deserves detailed investigation. The sequence lies in the Lower Wadhurst Clay Formation (Hastings Beds Group), above the marker horizons of the Brede Soil Bed and Top Ashdown Pebble Bed.

References