Middleton Quarry
Encyclopedia
Middleton Quarry is a Site of Special Scientific Interest
in the Teesdale
district of west County Durham
, England
. It is a disused quarry, from which Whin Sill
stone was formerly excavated. It lies just south of the River Tees
, opposite the village of Middleton-in-Teesdale
on the river's northern bank.
Since mineral working ceased, the quarry has been re-colonised by a variety of vegetation types. On the quarry floor, natural seepage has given rise to areas of open water, which grade into a variety of soligenous mire
and fen vegetation types.
Where a skeletal soil layer has developed on the quarry floor and spoil heaps, patches of grassland
occur, with species characteristic of base-rich soils, such as quaking grass, Briza media
, and limestone bedstraw, Galium sterneri
. On shallow slopes, this gives way to a neutral grassland characterised by false oat-grass, Arrhenatherum elatius
, and Yorkshire fog, Holcus lanatus. Above the quarry, this is replaced by acid grassland, in which wavy hair-grass, Deschampsia flexuosa
, is dominant.
The quarry supports a moth
fauna which includes at least two species, the northern rustic, Standfussiana lucernea
, and the anomalous wainscot, Stilbia anomala
, that are rare in north-east England.
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 Teesdale
Teesdale (district)
Teesdale was, from 1974 to 2009, a local government district in County Durham, England. Its council was based in Barnard Castle and it was named after the valley of the River Tees....
district of west 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 a disused quarry, from which Whin Sill
Whin Sill
The Whin Sill or Great Whin Sill is a tabular layer of the igneous rock dolerite in County Durham and Northumberland in the northeast of England. It lies partly in the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and partly in Northumberland National Park and stretches from Teesdale northwards...
stone was formerly excavated. It lies just south of the River Tees
River Tees
The River Tees is in Northern England. It rises on the eastern slope of Cross Fell in the North Pennines, and flows eastwards for 85 miles to reach the North Sea between Hartlepool and Redcar.-Geography:...
, opposite the village of Middleton-in-Teesdale
Middleton-in-Teesdale
Middleton-in-Teesdale is a small market town in County Durham, in England. It is situated on the north side of Teesdale between Eggleston and Newbiggin, a few miles to the north west of Barnard Castle...
on the river's northern bank.
Since mineral working ceased, the quarry has been re-colonised by a variety of vegetation types. On the quarry floor, natural seepage has given rise to areas of open water, which grade into a variety of soligenous mire
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 fen vegetation types.
Where a skeletal soil layer has developed on the quarry floor and spoil heaps, patches of grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
occur, with species characteristic of base-rich soils, such as quaking grass, Briza media
Briza media
Briza media is a perennial grass in the family Poaceae and is a species of the genus Briza.Common name includes Quaking-grass, Cow-quake, Didder, Dithering-grass, Dodder-grass, Doddering Dillies, Doddle-grass, Earthquakes, Jiggle-joggles, Jockey-grass, Lady's-hair, Maidenhair-grass, Pearl Grass,...
, and limestone bedstraw, Galium sterneri
Galium sterneri
Galium sterneri or Limestone Bedstraw is a plant species of the genus Galium....
. On shallow slopes, this gives way to a neutral grassland characterised by false oat-grass, Arrhenatherum elatius
Arrhenatherum elatius
-Introduction:Arrhenatherum elatius, with the common names false oat-grass, tall oat-grass, tall meadow oat, onion couch and tuber oat-grass, is a perennial species of grass, common in the temperate regions of Europe....
, and Yorkshire fog, Holcus lanatus. Above the quarry, this is replaced by acid grassland, in which wavy hair-grass, Deschampsia flexuosa
Deschampsia flexuosa
-Introduction:Deschampsia flexuosa Trin. or Wavy Hair-grass is a species of bunchgrass in the Poaceae family with a Holarctic distribution.-Habitat and distribution:...
, is dominant.
The quarry supports a moth
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
fauna which includes at least two species, the northern rustic, Standfussiana lucernea
Standfussiana lucernea
The Northern Rustic is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from the Iberian Peninsula, Italy and Greece in southern Europe, north through most of the continent up to Fennoscandia west to Ireland and Iceland....
, and the anomalous wainscot, Stilbia anomala
Stilbia anomala
The False Footman or Anomalous is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in western Europe.The wingspan is 29-36 mm. Adults are on wing from August to September....
, that are rare in north-east England.