Two new LGS

In October 2022, two new sites were designated as Local Geological Sites.

The first, Fowlmere Springs LGS, contains the most extensive collection of chalk springs in the county – the RSPB nature reserve of Fowlmere. The site is famous for its watercress beds and the history of their farming. A feat of engineering geology was accomplished by enhancing the intermittent water flow from the springs to produce a more reliable supply. Pipes were inserted down to the water source, the bed of the Totternhoe Stone which occurs here at some depth.  This is the same horizon that produces the springs at Nine Wells, Giant’s Grave and Burwell due to its highly fissured nature and its position above the more impermeable West Melbury Marly Chalk.

The other site is Stapleford Parish Pit, now owned and managed by the Magog Trust. This is a typical Cambridgeshire parish pit used to extract ‘clunch’ for local building works. It has exposures of New Pit Chalk, the horizon above (and, therefore, younger than) the Holywell Chalk seen in the tops of the cliffs at East Pit LGS, Cherry Hinton.

This brings the total LGS in Cambridgeshire to 8 (in addition to 6 in the Peterborough District). Another 7 ‘candidate’ LGS were also proposed making a total of 17 sites that we are now looking at putting forward for LGS designation in future.  More information on LGS here.