Kensworth Chalk Pit

Kensworth Chalk Pit

Site of Special Scientific Interest
Location	Bedfordshire
Grid reference	TL015197
Interest	Geological
Area	131.3 hectares
Notification	1988
Location map	Magic Map

Kensworth Chalk Quarry is a 131.3-hectare (324-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Kensworth in Bedfordshire. It was notified under Section 28 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, and the local planning authority is Central Bedfordshire.^[1][2]

The site is a large working quarry which exposes fossiliferous chalk rocks of the late Cretaceous, with many rare fossils including ammonites. Natural England describes it as "an unrivalled locality for stratigraphic studies in the Upper Cretaceous".^[1][3] It is a Geological Conservation Review site, and one succession of layers is the stratotype for the "Kensworth Nodular Chalk Member".^[4]

There is no public access.^{[citation needed]}

References

1. "Kensworth Chalk Quarry citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
2. "Map of Kensworth Chalk Quarry". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
3. "Chalk Places to Visit in Bedfordshire". Geo-East. Archived from the original on 9 August 2016. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
4. "KENSWORTH CHALK PIT". British Upper Cretaceous Stratigraphy (PDF). Joint Nature Conservation Committee. 2001.

51.866°N 0.517°W / 51.866; -0.517