Dry Sandford Pit

Dry Sandford Pit

Site of Special Scientific Interest
Location	Oxfordshire
Grid reference	SU 467 994[1]
Interest	Biological Geological
Area	4.2 hectares (10 acres)[1]
Notification	1986[1]
Location map	Magic Map

Dry Sandford Pit is a 4.2-hectare (10-acre) biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest north-west of Abingdon-on-Thames in Oxfordshire.^[1][2] It is a Geological Conservation Review site^[3] and it is managed as a nature reserve by the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust.^[4]

This former sand quarry exposes a sequence of limestone rocks laid down in shallow coastal waters during the Oxfordian stage of the Jurassic, around 160 million years ago. It has many fossil ammonites. It has diverse calcareous habitats, including fen, grassland, scrub and heath. It is nationally important entomologically, especially for bees and wasps.^[5]

References

1. "Designated Sites View: Dry Sandford Pit". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
2. "Map of Dry Sandford Pit". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
3. "Dry Sandford Pit (Oxfordian)". Geological Conservation Review. Joint Nature Conservation Committee. Retrieved 26 February 2020.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
4. "Dry Sandford Pit". Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
5. "Dry Sandford Pit citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 23 March 2020.

51.691°N 1.326°W / 51.691; -1.326