Southborough Pit facts for kids
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
 |
|
| Area of Search | Kent |
|---|---|
| Interest | Geological |
| Area | 1.1 hectares (2.7 acres) |
| Notification | 1993 |
| Location map | Magic Map |
Southborough Pit is a special place in Kent, near Tunbridge Wells. It's a geological Site of Special Scientific Interest, which means it's protected because of its important rocks and landforms. This site covers about 1.1 hectares, which is roughly the size of two football fields. It was officially recognized as a protected area in 1993.
What Makes Southborough Pit Special?
Southborough Pit is a very old place! The rocks and features you find here date back to a time called the Valanginian age. This was about 140 million years ago, during the Lower Cretaceous period. Imagine dinosaurs roaming the Earth – that's how old this site is!
A Unique Soil Bed
This site is known as the type locality for something called the High Brooms Soil Bed. A "type locality" means it's the main place where this specific type of soil layer was first studied and described. This special soil bed once contained fossils of an ancient plant called Equisetes lyellii. This plant was a type of aquatic horsetail, similar to some plants you might see growing near water today.
What Can You See Today?
Even though Southborough Pit is a protected geological site, it has changed over time. Footpaths still go through the area, so you can walk around and explore. However, the pit has been filled in, which means the original geological features are no longer visible on the surface. While you can't see the ancient rock layers directly, the area remains important for its historical geological significance.
