Skiddaw Group SSSI, Cumbria
Upland outcrop, underground mines, mine dumps, exposure site, integrity site for geomorphology, finite site for mineralisation.
The Skiddaw Group SSSI, Cumbria, is a large upland site, with twelve separate GCR sites and several areas of biological importance. Parts of the site are also important for archaeology, as mining has taken place on the Caldbeck Fells at least since Elizabethan times and there are also Neolithic stone axe sites within the SSSI.
The geological interests are very varied and and many represent classic research and educational sites. They include:
- the Carrock Fell mafic intrusion, the largest layered intrusion in England;
- parts of the greisenised margins of the Skiddaw Granite and its aureole, which is renowned for its contact metamorphic mineral assemblage;
- several different mineral sites, both mine dumps and in situ exposures, associated with the globally renowned Caldbeck Fells mining district;
- stuctural sites such as Raven Crags and the River Caldew section which are important in deciphering the structural history of northern England during the Caledonian Orogeny;
- graptolite-bearing rocks of the Skiddaw Group at Great Cockup, which provide evidence of their age of deposition and are important for global correlation of Ordovician stratigraphy;
- the summit of Skiddaw which is important for its periglacial landforms.
A large area of the Skiddaw Group SSSI is managed by the Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA), who, in January 2000, introduced a permit system for sample collecting on the site. The need to introduce a permit system was brought about by extensive over-collecting by mineral collectors on a number of the mineral sites within the SSSI. Some important areas have been extensively collected and little material of mineralogical interest now remains in these areas.
The LDNPA was concerned not only about irreparable damage to the fragile mineral resource but also the impacts of excavations by mineral collectors on the archaeological interest of certain dumps. There has also been concern over disturbance to wildlife by large parties of students visiting the site for geological studies. In order to monitor activities on the site to provide better management of its wide range of interests, anybody wishing to remove mineral or rock samples from the site must now first apply for a permit to the LDNPA.
The collecting permit scheme was revised in 2005, splitting the Fells into colour coded zones (red, amber and green) which are of varying sensitivity. The idea is to allow some educational and amateur collecting in green zones while maintaining tight restrictions in more sensitive areas (red zones). All collectors will still require a permit, but the process for applying has been simplified for green zones as all collectors are now required to follow a code of conduct which sets out collecting procedure. This system provides a more flexible approach to granting permits, giving greater access to amateur collectors and educational groups, while protecting the key sensitive areas. Further details of the permit scheme can be found on the LDNPA website
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