North Yorkshire Geodiversity Partnership

Ingleton Quarry, Precambrian
Malham Cove Carboniferous
West Burton Falls Carboniferous
Cleave Dyke Quarry, Jurassic
Geology

Geology

Geological Sites

Geological Sites

Rocks for us

Rocks For Us

Geological Conservation Review Sites

There are two types of designation applied to nature conservation sites, nationally important statutory sites i.e. protected by law, for example Sites of Special Scientific Interest, and non-statutory sites, those which are afforded a degree of protection within the local authority planning system.

Geological Conservation Review (GCR) Sites

Throughout the UK, since 1977, over 3000 Geological Conservation Review (GCR) sites have been identified by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC). They represent the most important national, and in some cases international geological sites, and the majority have been designated as geological Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Based on their scientific value rather than their educational or geological historical importance they were designated using three criteria,:

  • sites of international importance
  • sites that are scientifically important because they contain exceptional features
  • sites that are nationally important because they are representative of a geological feature, event or process, which is fundamental to understanding Britain’s geological history.

Your Dales Rocks Project Area GCR Sites

GCR Geological Conservation Review sites are divided into over 100 different types or blocks, and the Your Dales Rocks Project Area includes 50 sites representing 12 blocks. With 16 sites, Caves is the dominant block followed by the Dinantian of Northern England with 10 sites, and then Karst (7), the three blocks reflecting the importance of limestone geology and geomorphology in the Project Area.

Three sites Dowshaw Delf (Dinantian of Northern England), Gunnerside Gill (Mineralogy of the Pennines) and Arcow Quarry (Wenlock) were identified in the review as candidate GCR sites.

SSSI GCR Block GCR Site Report PLANNING AUTHORITY
AYSGARTH Fluvial Geomorphology of England PDF YDNPA
BIRKS FELL CAVES Caves PDF YDNPA
BIRKWITH CAVES AND FELL Caves PDF YDNPA
BLACK KELD CATCHMENT Caves PDF YDNPA
BOREHAM CAVE Caves PDF YDNPA
BRANTS GILL CATCHMENT Caves PDF YDNPA
BRIMHAM ROCKS Quaternary of the Pennines and Adjacent Areas Harrogate
CAUTLEY THWAITE MEADOWS AND ECKER SECKER BECK Caradoc-Ashgill YDNPA
CLIFF FORCE CAVE Caves PDF YDNPA
CLINTS QUARRY Dinantian of Northern England & North Wales YDNPA
CONISTONE OLD PASTURE Karst PDF YDNPA
CRACOE REEF KNOLLS Dinantian of Northern England & North Wales YDNPA
DOW CAVE SYSTEM Caves PDF YDNPA
FOREDALE Caledonian Structures of the Lake District YDNPA
GIGGLESWICK SCAR AND KINSEY CAVE Quaternary of the Pennines and Adjacent Areas YDNPA
Pleistocene Vertebrata YDNPA
GREENHOW QUARRY Mineralogy of the Pennines Harrogate
HAMBLETON QUARRY Dinantian of Northern England & North Wales Craven
HAW CRAG QUARRY Dinantian of Northern England & North Wales Craven
HELL GILL Karst PDF YDNPA
HOLY WELL BRIDGE Dinantian of Northern England & North Wales Craven
INGLEBOROUGH Caves PDF YDNPA
Karst PDF YDNPA
Quaternary of the Pennines and Adjacent Areas YDNPA
LANGCLIFFE SCARS AND JUBILEE, ALBERT AND VICTORIA CAVES Pleistocene Vertebrata YDNPA
Dinantian of Northern England & North Wales YDNPA
LANGDALE BOWDERDALE AND CARLIN GILL Fluvial Geomorphology of England PDF YDNPA
MALHAM – ARNCLIFFE Karst PDF YDNPA
Karst PDF YDNPA
Quaternary of the Pennines and Adjacent Areas YDNPA
Dinantian of Northern England & North Wales YDNPA
Caves PDF YDNPA
MEAL BANK QUARRY Dinantian of Northern England & North Wales YDNPA
PEN Y GHENT Caves PDF YDNPA
PEN Y GHENT GILL Karst PDF YDNPA
Dinantian of Northern England & North Wales YDNPA
PIKEDAW CALAMINE CAVERNS Caves PDF YDNPA
RIVER RAWTHEY WANDALE BECK AND SALLY BECK Wenlock PDF YDNPA
Caradoc-Ashgill YDNPA
SCHOOL SHARE SECTION Namurian of England & Wales YDNPA
SHAW BECK GILL Fluvial Geomorphology of England PDF YDNPA
SHORT GILL CAVE SYSTEM Caves PDF YDNPA
STONEHEAD BECK GILL BECK Namurian of England & Wales Craven
STRANS GILL Caves PDF YDNPA
STUMP CROSS CAVES Caves PDF YDNPA
SWINDEN QUARRY Dinantian of Northern England & North Wales YDNPA
THORNTON AND TWISTLETON GLENS Precambrian of England & Wales YDNPA
UPPER DENTDALE CAVE SYSTEM Caves PDF YDNPA
UPPER NIDDERDALE Caves PDF Harrogate
WHERNSIDE Caves PDF YDNPA
Karst PDF YDNPA
WHITFIELD GILL AND MILL GILL Dinantian of Northern England & North Wales YDNPA

The geological SSSIs and Geological Conservation Review (GCR) Sites and Blocks within the Your Dales Rocks Project Area.

Hambleton-Quarry

Photo: Hambleton Quarry – anticline in Pendleside Limestone

Limestone-Pavement

Photo: Malham Cove – limestone pavement

aysgarth-waterfalls

Photo: Aysgarth – waterfalls in the Yoredale Group

Vale of York Project Area GCR Sites

The 15 GCR sites in the Vale of York Area, are representative of seven GCR blocks.

SSSI NAME GCR BLOCK GCR Site Report DISTRICT
Botton Head Mesozoic Palaeobotany Hambleton
Broughton Bank Mesozoic Palaeobotany Hambleton
Cliff Ridge Tertiary Igneous PDF Hambleton
Gormire Quaternary of North-East England Hambleton
Kildale Hall Quaternary of North-East England Hambleton
Langbaurgh Ridge Tertiary Igneous Hambleton
Roseberry Topping Mesozoic Palaeobotany Hambleton
Shaw’s Gate Quarry Oxfordian PDF Hambleton
Snape Hill Quarry Oxfordian PDF Hambleton
Great Almscliff Crag Quaternary of the Pennines and Adjacent Areas Harrogate
Newsome Bridge Quarry Marine Permian PDF Harrogate
Whitcliffe Section, Quarry Moor Marine Permian PDF Harrogate
River Ure Bank, Ripon Parks Marine Permian PDF Harrogate
Black Scar Quarry Mineralogy of the Pennines Richmondshire
Tadcaster Mere Quaternary of North-East England Selby

The geological SSSIs and GCR sites in the Vale of York Project Area

Further information may be obtained from the JNCC web-site and the GCR web-site.