Doulting Railway Cutting
Encyclopedia
Doulting Railway Cutting is a 2.8 hectare
geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Somerset
, notified in 1971.
The cutting was made in the 1850s for the East Somerset Railway
which still runs steam trains through the cutting today.
It shows rocks of the Middle Jurassic
period including both the Inferior Oolite
/Great Oolite
Junction
and the Bajocian
-Bathonian
stage boundary.
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, notified in 1971.
The cutting was made in the 1850s for the East Somerset Railway
East Somerset Railway
The East Somerset Railway is a heritage railway in Somerset, running between Cranmore and Mendip Vale. Prior to the Beeching Axe, the railway ran from Witham to Wells, meeting both the Cheddar Valley line and Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway at the latter station.- History :The line was...
which still runs steam trains through the cutting today.
It shows rocks of the Middle Jurassic
Middle Jurassic
The Middle Jurassic is the second epoch of the Jurassic Period. It lasted from 176-161 million years ago. In European lithostratigraphy, rocks of this Middle Jurassic age are called the Dogger....
period including both the Inferior Oolite
Oolite
Oolite is a sedimentary rock formed from ooids, spherical grains composed of concentric layers. The name derives from the Hellenic word òoion for egg. Strictly, oolites consist of ooids of diameter 0.25–2 mm; rocks composed of ooids larger than 2 mm are called pisolites...
/Great Oolite
Great Oolite
The Great Oolite is a geological formation in Europe. It dates back to the Middle Jurassic.-Vertebrate fauna:This Limestone is dominant in many areas of the UK particularly in Birmingham and Anglesy. It is composed of oolites and lithic fragments...
Junction
and the Bajocian
Bajocian
In the geologic timescale, the Bajocian is an age or stage in the Middle Jurassic. It lasted from approximately 171.6 Ma to around 167.7 Ma . The Bajocian age succeeds the Aalenian age and precedes the Bathonian age....
-Bathonian
Bathonian
In the geologic timescale the Bathonian is an age or stage of the Middle Jurassic. It lasted from approximately 167.7 Ma to around 164.7 Ma...
stage boundary.
Sources
- English Nature citation sheet for the site (accessed 7 August 2006)
External links
- English Nature website (SSSI information)