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Pitstone Quarry

PitstoneSites of Special Scientific Interest in Buckinghamshire
Pitstone Quarry 1
Pitstone Quarry 1

Pitstone Quarry is a 10.3-hectare (25-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Pitstone, Buckinghamshire. It is the area between the lake and the railway line in College Lake nature reserve. The site exposes deposits of the Middle and Late Pleistocene, during the last half-million years. Most sediments are the result of solifluction, repeated slippage during ice ages, with channels in the slopes filled with sediments. The most recent warm period, the Ipswichian around 125,000 years ago, contains hippopotamus fossils. According to Natural England evaluation continues and "the results are eagerly awaited".There is access to College Lake from Upper Icknield Way, but the most important exposure is in an area closed to the public.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Pitstone Quarry (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Pitstone Quarry
Upper Icknield Way, Dacorum

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Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 51.820887 ° E -0.647028 °
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Address

College Lake Nature Reserve

Upper Icknield Way
HP23 5QG Dacorum
England, United Kingdom
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Website
bbowt.org.uk

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Pitstone Quarry 1
Pitstone Quarry 1
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Nearby Places

College Lake nature reserve
College Lake nature reserve

College Lake is a 65 hectare nature reserve in a former chalk quarry in Pitstone in the Aylesbury Vale district of Buckinghamshire. It is one of the flagship reserves of the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust, and it has an information centre, education facilities, a café, toilets and a shop. It is in the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The area east of the lake is a geological Site of Special Scientific Interest called Pitstone Quarry.The site has more than a thousand species of wildlife on the lake, marshland and grassland. Rare species include Lapwings, which nest on islands in the lake, and redwing. The marshes are an important habitat for breeding waders. The grassland has a variety of flowers, which support a variety of insects, birds and mammals.The visitor centre opened to the public in 2010.During the late 20th century College Lake was a working quarry and the chalk was excavated and made into cement for use in building construction. Many fossils, including ammonites and sea urchins, were uncovered during the excavations and fossils from the site are on display in the visitor centre . There is access from the Upper Icknield Way. The site takes its name from College farm that existed here before quarrying started in the twentieth century. The farm buildings were located on the rising ground on the north side of the present lake. The farm in turn took its name from Trinity College Cambridge which owned the land.