Greenfoot Quarry

Greenfoot Quarry is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in the Wear Valley district of west County Durham, England. It is a disused quarry, situated in the Wear valley, 1 km upstream from the village of Stanhope.

Greenfoot Quarry
Greenfoot Quarry
Location of Greenfoot Quarry SSSI, Co Durham
LocationWear Valley, North East, England
Coordinates54°44′54″N 2°1′43″W
Area0.9 ha (2.2 acres)
Established1984
Governing bodyNatural England
WebsiteMap of site

The site has national geological importance for its exposures of the Little Whin Sill; there are other exposures in the bed of the Wear near to the quarry, but none shows so complete an exposure as Greenfoot Quarry. At the western end of the quarry is a unique exposure which displays columnar jointing in the sill with limestone exposed above and below the intrusion.[1]

At Natural England's last assessment, in June 2006, the site was classed as "unfavourable declining" because, it was noted, the exposure had become covered by vegetation, which obscured the features of interest.[2]

References
  1. "Greenfoot Quarry" (PDF). English Nature. 1984. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
  2. "Condition of SSSI Units - Greenfoot Quarry". Natural England. June 2010. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
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