Kirtlington Quarry exposes limestones and clays of the Great Oolite Group that formed in the Middle Jurassic around 165 million years ago. The quarry, like many of the other quarries in the area, was used for the production of cement, and was worked for cement from 1907 to 1928.
The Jurassic rocks exposed in Kirtlington Quarry provide lots of evidence to tell us what the environment would have been like at the time these rocks formed. It is thought that Kirtlington lay near to the shore of a small barrier island, in a coastal environment, and would have been similar to the Florida Everglades today. These conditions attracted many animals to Kirtlington, and the quarry is famous among geologists for its rich diversity of fossils.
Dinosaur bones of a 15m long Cetiosaurus, and the tooth of a Megalosaurus have been found here, along with the teeth of flying reptiles called pterosaurs, and the remains of sharks, Long-Snouted Crocodiles, and a large marine reptile called a Plesiosaur. Kirtlington however, is most important for its ??? fossils, and the quarry is the richest ???-bearing locality of Middle Jurassic age known anywhere in the world.
Above information provided by kind permission of Oxfordshire Geology Trust
The Quarry has had many uses. The earliest written records indicate that some of the beds were worked for fuller�s earth early in the 17th century, when the woollen trade was dominant. From 1907 to 1928 the Oxford Portland Cement Company operated a busy works and quarry here, shipping the finished cement to markets in the Midlands and Oxford along the nearby Oxford canal. The quarry is now, thanks in large part to the late Stuart, a Local Nature Reserve, and the same clay and limestone beds which previously supplied the raw materials for the cement works today provide a rich habitat for the many plants and insects which have recolonised the area.
Please respect this beautiful and tranquil place and please take care near the rock faces, particularly with children, there ARE loose rocks. If you wish to search for fossils DO NOT hammer the rock faces, there are plenty of loose rocks on the ground which you are allowed to search for fossils.
To claim this cache you will need to send a message to us with:
1) the age of the rocks exposed by the quarrying and what types of fossils found here have been particularly important to scientists.
2) the co-ords of the centre of the stone maze
3) (Optional) post a photo of the rock face at the above co-ords which includes your GPSr and preferably some of your team
WARNING - Any logs not complying with the above will be deleted.