| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
 | |
  Location within Somerset | |
| Location | Somerset |
|---|---|
| Grid reference | ST718444 |
| Coordinates | 51°11′53″N2°24′18″W / 51.19811°N 2.40497°W /51.19811; -2.40497 |
| Interest | Geological |
| Area | 39.92 ha (98.6 acres) |
| Notification | 1994 (1994) |
| Natural England website | |
Cloford Quarry (grid referenceST718444) is a 39.92-hectare (98.6-acre)geological Site of Special Scientific Interest to the south of theA361 approximately 350 metres (1,150 ft) north of the hamlet ofCloford and 1 kilometre (0.6 mi) west ofNunney on theMendip Hills inSomerset. It wasnotified in 1994.
It is aGeological Conservation Review site important for the exposures of sediments ofTriassic andJurassic age which occur in major fissures within theCarboniferous Limestone laid down beneath the sea some 350 million years ago. Fissures, created by the uplift, folding and faulting of the Carboniferous Limestone, periodically opened and closed which were filled with deposits ofRhaetic,Hettangian,Sinemurian,Pliensbachian,Toarcian andBathonian ages. The surface also contains large number of borings made into it by bivalvedmolluscs living in the Jurassic seas. No other site in Britain shows such a variety and abundance of sediment-infilled fissures of this age.[1]
In 2006 planning permission was granted for continued extraction of limestone until 2042.[2]
Cloford Quarry was the main location used for the planet Lakertya in theDoctor Who storyTime and the Rani.[3] Shots filmed here include the exterior of the Rani's laboratory.