THE GEOLOGY AND CONSERVATION OF BROWN-END QUARRY, WATERHOUSES, STAFFORDSHIRE

Brown End Quarry is an outstanding geological locality and a Site of S pecial Scientific Interest of both national and international importan ce. The exposed Milldale and Hopedale Limestones of early Carboniferou s age contain a rich variety of geological phenomena ranging from carb onate mudmounds and gravity flows deposits, to horizons rich in echino derm remains, rare trilobites and a range of trace fossils. New eviden ce suggests that the sequence contains a significant proportion of res edimented material. Consideration of all available palaeontological an d sedimentological phenomena suggests that the sequence was deposited in the Widmerpool Gulf at water depths of around 300 m. Controversy st ill exists about the age of parts of the sequence. The quarry is Staff ordshire's first geological nature reserve and its conservation is man aged by the Staffordshire Wildlife Trust (the owners of the site), in close collaboration with the North Staffordshire Group of the Geologis ts' Association. Details of the geology of the site and how it is bein g conserved are described.