Longhope Hill facts for kids
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
| Area of Search | Gloucestershire |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 51°51′53″N 2°26′47″W / 51.864681°N 2.446517°W |
| Interest | Geological |
| Area | 0.2 hectare |
| Notification | 1989 |
Longhope Hill is a special place in Gloucestershire, England. It's known as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) because of its amazing rocks. This area is quite small, only about 0.2 hectares, which is like half a football field. It was officially recognized as an SSSI in 1989.
What is Longhope Hill?
Longhope Hill is located in the Forest of Dean. This is a beautiful area near the village of Longhope in western Gloucestershire. It's a very important spot for scientists. They come here to study rocks from a time called the late Silurian period.
Why are the rocks special?
The rocks at Longhope Hill are like an open book of Earth's history. They show a long, clear section of rock layers. These layers are called the Lower and Upper Longhope Beds. They belong to a specific part of the Silurian period called the Ludfordian.
Above these layers, you can find another type of rock called Clifford's Mesne Sandstone. These rock layers contain many clues about ancient life. Scientists have found fossils of large animals, known as macrofaunas. They have also found tiny, well-preserved plant fossils from the sea, called marine microfloral assemblies. Studying these helps us understand what life was like millions of years ago.
