Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
Location | Leicestershire |
---|---|
Grid reference | SK 456 130 [1] |
Interest | Geological |
Area | 58.2 hectares [1] |
Notification | 1987 [1] |
Location map | Magic Map |
Bardon Hill Quarry is a 58.2-hectare (144-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest east of Coalville in Leicestershire. [1] [2] It is a Geological Conservation Review site. [3] [4]
This quarry has been operated for over 400 years and produces three million tonnes of rock a year, 15% of UK output. It exposes rocks from an andesitic Precambrian volcano, similar to the 1995 Montserrat eruption, about 570 million years ago. There are veins of quartz containing copper and gold. [5]
There is no public access to the site.