Ardley Cutting and Quarry facts for kids
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
 |
|
| Area of Search | Oxfordshire |
|---|---|
| Interest | Biological Geological |
| Area | 40.1 hectares (99 acres) |
| Notification | 1988 |
| Location map | Magic Map |
Ardley Cutting and Quarry is a special place in Oxfordshire, north-west of Bicester. It covers about 40 hectares (that's like 100 football fields!). This area is protected because it's important for both its amazing wildlife and its interesting rocks. It's known as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, or SSSI for short.
Part of Ardley Cutting and Quarry, about 11 hectares, is looked after by the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust. They call their part Ardley Wood Quarry. This site is also a Geological Conservation Review site, which means it's super important for studying Earth's history. Plus, it has an old Scheduled monument, which is a protected historical site. This monument is called Ardley Wood moated ringwork. It was a defended area built by the Normans a very long time ago.
What Makes Ardley Cutting and Quarry Special?
Ancient Rocks and Earth's History
The rocks you can see at Ardley Cutting and Quarry are incredibly old. They formed about 167 million years ago! This was during a time called the Middle Jurassic period. Scientists can learn a lot about what Earth was like back then by studying these rocks.
The site is especially important because it helps geologists connect rocks found near Oxford with similar rocks in the Midlands. This helps them understand how the land changed across Britain during the Jurassic Period.
Amazing Wildlife
Ardley Cutting and Quarry is also home to many different plants and animals. It has a special type of grassland called calcareous grassland. This means the soil has a lot of calcium carbonate, which comes from old shells and skeletons. This kind of soil helps unique plants grow.
You can find many different animals here, especially vertebrates (animals with backbones). One very important animal that lives here is the great crested newt. This newt is protected by international laws because it's quite rare. Protecting places like Ardley Cutting and Quarry helps keep these special creatures safe.
