A25 D61 New Edlington Brick Pit

Site information

Site name: New Edlington Brick Pit

Site key: D61

Grid reference: [SK 534 986] (accurate)

Site type: disused quarries, pits and cuttings

Local authority: Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council, South Yorkshire

Site dimensions: 250 m x 100 m

Site owner: DMBC?

Conservation status: Regionally Important Geological Site Date: 16/9/97

Field surveyor: Scott Engering Date: 19/1/07

Stratigraphy and rock types

Time unit: Permian Rock unit: Edlington Formation, Zechstein Group

Rock type: Mudstone, Calcareous Details: Green and red marl with gypsum layers

Time unit: Anglian, Middle Pleistocene Rock unit: Till

Rock type: Diamicton, sandy Details: Red sandy till

Site map

(Figure 118) — D61 New Edlington Brick Pit

This map is based upon Ordnance Survey topographic material with the permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of The Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, © Crown copyright. Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown Copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings. Licence Number: 100017897 [2007]

Site description

Disused brick pit, now filled with water and used for angling and nesting site for birds. Located behind allotments to rear of Dixon Road.

Green and red marls with gypsum bands exposed at water level around the edge of the pit. To the northern edge of the pond, occasional exposures of red, sandy boulder clay can be seen, similar to that seen at Warmsworth Park, Hexthorpe Flatts and Cedar Road Quarry. At the date of survey, there were no exposures of marl and gypsum visible due to rise in water level of approximately 4 feet after recent heavy rains. Current water level approximately 4.3 m, with minimum of about 2.5 m feet in summer. The pond is normally drained at regular intervals with a sluice but this had not been done for some time.

Parking on roughly surfaced ground is limited due to anglers and allotment users

RIGS assessment of site value

Ratings: 1–2 very poor; 3–4 poor; 5–6 acceptable/useful; 7–8 quite good; 9–10 very good/excellent; N/A not applicable; D/K don't know

Access and safety

Aspect/Description/Rating

Road access & parking Limited to 4/5 spaces. Potential conflict with anglers and allotment holders. Rating: 3

Safety of access Unmade track accessed by 4x4 vehicles. Muddy when wet. Well maintained path around the pond. Angling platforms can provide viewing points. Rating: 4

Safety of exposure Due to exposure at water’s edge, there is a potential hazard of falling into the pond. No life saving equipment at the site. Rating: 3

Permission to visit Not applicable N/A

Current condition Gypsum and marl not visible at time of survey. Till has limited exposures that are susceptible to vegetation growth. Rating: 4

Current conflicting activities Angling, but not a serious conflict as, when exposed, gypsum can be seen from the waters edge

Restricting conditions Water levels in pond may obscure exposures, which are already limited

Nature of exposure Small outcrops at waters edge

Multiple exposures/prospect for trail Possible stop on trail, together with nearby Warmsworth Park, Cedar Road Quarry and Hexthorpe Flatts

Notes Care must be taken due to muddy access track and exposures at waters edge

Culture, heritage & economic

Aspect/Description/Rating

Historic, archaeological & literary associations None known. Rating: 0

Aesthetic landscape Not applicable. Rating: 0

History of Earth Sciences Not applicableRating:  0

Economic geology Local example of former brick making industry. Rating: 5

Notes Possesses rarity value

Education and science

Surface processes Glacial deposition. Rating: 4

Geomorphology Till outcrop largely disturbed by man made landscaping relating to extraction of marl. Rating: 4

Sedimentary Rare exposure of gypsum in Edlington Formation. Till provides evidence of distribution of this deposit in the district. Rating: 6

Fossils Not applicable. Rating: 0

Igneous Not applicable. Rating: 0

Metamorphic Not applicable. Rating: 0

Tectonic: structural Not applicable. Rating: 0

Minerals Rare occurrence of gypsum. Rating: 6

Stratigraphy Not applicable. Rating: 0

Notes A useful educational site as part of a wider field trip, principally for the rarity of gypsum

Geodiversity value

Main value relates to rare occurrence of gypsum in a landscape dominated by human activity, waste tips and industry. Rating: 5

Site photographs D61 New Edlington Brick Pit

(Figure 119) General view across the old flooded brick pit to the south-west. [SK 53320 98610].

(Figure 120) Exposure of weathered till to the north side of the flooded brick pit. [SK 53140 98550]

(Figure 121) Detail of gypsum outcrop within the Edlington Formation, as seen during the 1997 RIGS survey. [SK 53250 98500].