Raisby Hill Quarry is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in east County Durham, England. It lies just under 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) east of the village of Coxhoe.

Raisby Hill Quarry
Map showing the location of Raisby Hill Quarry
Map showing the location of Raisby Hill Quarry
Site of Special Scientific Interest
LocationMAGiC MaP
Nearest cityCity of Durham
Coordinates54°42′43″N 1°28′12″W / 54.71194°N 1.47000°W / 54.71194; -1.47000
Area52.42 ha (129.5 acres)
Established1957
Governing bodyNatural England
WebsiteRaisby Hill Quarry SSSI

The site is a working quarry and has been designated as of national importance in the Geological Conservation Review. Until 1984, the site included most of the area that now forms the Raisby Hill Grassland SSSI. [1]

The quarry exposes a section through the Marl Slate and the Ford and Raisby Formations of the Upper Permian. It is the type locality for the Raisby Formation, a carbonate unit of the English Zechstein sequence.[1] The exposed sequence commences with the Yellow Sands, which are overlain by the Marl Slate and some 200 feet of calcareous and dolomitic limestones.[2]

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Raisby Hill Quarry : Reasons for SSSI status" (PDF). Natural England. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
  2. ^ "Reports of Field Meetings for 1947". Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society. 27 (4): 301–306. June 1949. Bibcode:1949PYGS...27..301.. doi:10.1144/pygs.27.4.301.