The site is late Palaeocene[2] and early Eocene[3][dead link] 50 to 60 million years ago. Important Palaeocene finds in the Blackheath Beds on the site include 22 species of mammals in 12 orders, which resemble the Wasatchian fauna of North America. It has also yielded one of only two Palaeocene birds found in Britain, the holotype of Marinavis longirostris, a large Procellariiform sea bird, and the site may throw light on Procellariiform/Pelecaniform evolution.[2]
Excavations of the site in the twentieth century produced a rich yield of Eocene mammals and many shark teeth. It is particularly important for fish, including 16 type specimens.[3] It has three entries in the Geological Conservation Review database, for Tertiary mammalia,[4][dead link] Mesozoic and Tertiary fish and amphibians,[5][dead link] and aves.[6]
