Wootton Bassett Mud Spring

Sign warning of the risk of entrapment in the Mud Springs

Wootton Bassett Mud Spring (grid reference SU078815) is an 8,000 square metre geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Wiltshire, England, notified in 1997.

Wootton Bassett Mud Springs are oozing springs of cold, grey mud which blister up under a thin layer of vegetation. They can be found following a ten-minute walk by foot from the canal car park opposite Templars Way, along the Wilts and Berks Canal cut and then south across agricultural land.

In June 1996, the British Microbiological Biodiversity Association sent a team of microbiologists to monitor and sample the springs. They discovered springs more than 120 metres deep which emit a steady flow of fluidised mud at a rate of several cubic metres per day. The BMBA scientists were interested in the anaerobic microbiology of the mud flow and the possible links between this source and the deep terrestrial biosphere. They discovered that within the area there are five main sites of mud spring activity, one of which can be subdivided into three separate mud springs.[1]

Sources

References

  1. ↑ The British Microbial Biodiversity Association (BMBA) which exists to promote the investigation, preservation and rational exploitation of global microbial biodiversity.

External links

Coordinates: 51°31′56″N 1°53′20″W / 51.53235°N 1.88895°W / 51.53235; -1.88895


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