Hesledon Moor West is a Site of Special Scientific Interest

Site of Special Scientific Interest

A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...

 in the Easington

Easington (district)

Easington was, from 1974 to 2009, a local government district in eastern County Durham, England. It contained the settlements of Easington, Seaham, Peterlee, Murton, Horden, Blackhall, Wingate and Castle Eden...

 district in east County Durham

County Durham

County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. It is located 1 km east of the village of South Hetton

South Hetton

South Hetton is a former mining village in County Durham, in England. It is situated about six miles to the east of Durham and nine miles to the south of Sunderland.-South Hetton Colliery:...

, some 12 km south of Sunderland and a little under 2 km south-west of Hesledon Moor East

Hesledon Moor East

Hesledon Moor East is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in the Easington district in east County Durham, England. It is located on the southern edge of the village of Murton, 10 km south of Sunderland and a little under 2 km north-east of Hesledon Moor West SSSI.The site consists of...

 SSSI.

Within this small site there is a diversity of vegetation types, which have developed on the acidic glacial drift overlying magnesian limestone

Magnesian limestone

Magnesian limestone can refer to:* For the rock made of magnesium carbonate ie Magnesian limestone see dolomite or dolostone* For the traditional name of a specific suite of Permian age rocks in north-east England see Magnesian Limestone...

 that is characteristic of much of lowland Durham. Plant communities range from fen

Fen

A fen is a type of wetland fed by mineral-rich surface water or groundwater. Fens are characterised by their water chemistry, which is neutral or alkaline, with relatively high dissolved mineral levels but few other plant nutrients...

 and carr

Carr

Carr is a common surname in northern England, deriving from the Old Norse kjarr, meaning a swamp. Kerr is a Scottish variant. Carr is also a common surname in Ireland, where it often derives from the nickname, gearr, meaning short...

 to wet and dry heath

Heath

-Habitats:* Heath or heathland, low-growing woody vegetation, mostly consisting of heathers and related species* Heaths in the British National Vegetation Classification system...

.