Southerham Machine Bottom Pit facts for kids
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
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| Area of Search | East Sussex |
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| Interest | Geological |
| Area | 1.8 hectares (4.4 acres) |
| Notification | 1999 |
| Location map | Magic Map |
Southerham Machine Bottom Pit is a special place in Lewes, East Sussex. It's a "Site of Special Scientific Interest" (SSSI) because of its amazing geology. This means it's protected for its important natural features. The site covers about 1.8 hectares, which is like 4.4 acres.
Contents
What Makes Southerham Pit Special?
Southerham Machine Bottom Pit is a very important spot for scientists. It's part of something called the Geological Conservation Review. This review finds and protects the best geological sites in Great Britain.
Discovering Ancient Fish Fossils
This site is famous for the many high-quality fossils found there. These fossils are from fish that lived during the Cretaceous period. That was a very long time ago, between 145 and 66 million years ago!
Who Found These Fossils?
In the 1800s, smart people like Gideon Mantell studied this area. They found many of these ancient fish fossils. Mantell was a famous geologist and paleontologist. He helped us learn a lot about dinosaurs and ancient life.
Why Are These Fossils Important?
The fish fossils from Southerham Pit are super important for science. They help us understand how different groups of fish evolved. For example, they teach us about the early history of teleosts. Teleosts are a huge group of fish that includes most of the fish we see today, like salmon and tuna. By studying these old fossils, scientists can piece together the story of life on Earth.
Visiting Southerham Machine Bottom Pit
It's important to know that Southerham Machine Bottom Pit is on private land. This means there is no public access to the site. It's protected so that its valuable geological features and fossils can be preserved for future study.
