Interest Geological Notification 1996 | ||
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Grid reference ST975976 & ST985973 & ST982989 | ||
Kemble Railway Cuttings (ST975976 & ST985973 & ST982989) is a 2.72-hectare (6.7-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1996. The site is listed in the 'Cotswold District' Local Plan 2001-2011 (on line) as a Regionally Important Geological Site (RIGS).
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Location and geology
The site is a Geological Conservation Review (GCR) site, which is of significant importance regionally (south-west of England) for research on the stratigraphy of Middle Jurassic (Bathonian) rocks. The rocks exhibit the type section of the Kemble Beds, and show good examples of basal Forest Marble coral patch reefs with inter-reef sediments. The site consists of three separate units.
The exposures provide a vital reference section for correlating the successions of the Cirencester, Minchinhampton and Bath areas of the country. In particular, the Bradford Fossil Bed at the Tetbury Road Station is of historical and biostratigraphical interest.