Compton Martin Ochre Mine

Compton Martin Ochre Mine
Site of Special Scientific Interest
The site of Compton Martin Ochre Mine
Location within Somerset
Location	Avon
Grid reference	ST543566
Coordinates	51°18′24″N 2°39′25″W / 51.3067°N 2.6570°W / 51.3067; -2.6570
Interest	Geological and Biological
Area	2.1 acres (0.0085 km²; 0.0033 sq mi)
Notification	1988 (1988)
Natural England website

Compton Martin Ochre Mine (grid reference ST543566) is a 0.85 hectare geological and biological Site of Special Scientific Interest located on the north side of the Mendip Hills, immediately south west of Compton Martin village, Somerset, notified in 1988.

Geological Interest

It is a Geological Conservation Review site. The site comprises a network of tunnels and surface exposures on the eastern fringe of Compton Wood. The site exposes bedded hematitic iron ore (red ochre) in Triassic Dolomitic Conglomerates which was deposited underwater as a layered mass of iron oxide pellets of various types, probably in an ephemeral lake or pond fed by hot springs when the Mendip area was occupied by a desert environment some 220 million years ago during late Triassic times.^[1]

Red ochre is an iron oxide mineral, which was used in paint-making. It is believed that the mine was owned by Mendi Oxide & Ochre Co. Ltd., of Wick.

Biological Interest

The mines are also used as a hibernation site by Greater Horseshoe Bats (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum). A rare and endangered species, the greater horseshoe bat is protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and is listed in Annex II of the 1992 European Community Habitats Directive.^[1]

Along with Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines this site forms a key part of the Bath and Bradford-on-Avon Bats candidate Special Area of Conservation (cSAC).^[2]

References

^ ^a ^b "Compton Martin Ochre Mine" (PDF). English Nature. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 July 2006. Retrieved 9 May 2006.
^ "Chapter 2: The natural environment". Local Plan. Bath and North East Somerset. Archived from the original on 17 April 2011. Retrieved 21 October 2008.

External links

Compton Martin Ochre Mine (Mineralogy of the Mendips) GCR database
Compton Martin Ochre Mine
Compton Martin Village website
English Nature (SSSI information)

v t e Chew Valley
Towns and villages:	Belluton Bishop Sutton Blagdon Burnett Cameley Camerton Chelwood Chew Magna Chew Stoke Chewton Keynsham Chewton Mendip Clutton Compton Dando Compton Martin East Harptree High Littleton Hinton Blewett Hunstrete Keynsham Litton Marksbury Nempnett Thrubwell Norton Malreward Pensford Publow Queen Charlton Regil Stanton Drew Stanton Prior Stowey Temple Cloud Timsbury Ubley West Harptree Winford Woollard
Reservoirs:	Blagdon Lake Chew Magna Reservoir Chew Valley Lake Litton Reservoirs
Rivers:	River Chew River Yeo
SSSIs:	Barns Batch Spinney Blagdon Lake Burledge Hill Chew Valley Lake Compton Martin Ochre Mine Dundry Main Road South Quarry Emborough Quarries Folly Farm Harptree Combe Hartcliff Rocks Quarry Lamb Leer Lulsgate Quarry Plaster's Green Meadows Wurt Pit and Devil's Punchbowl
Open Access Land	Burledge Hill Knowle Hill Round Hill (Folly Farm)
Councils:	Bath and North East Somerset Mendip North Somerset
Surrounding areas:	Dundry Down Lulsgate Plateau Mendip Hills Yeo Valley

v t e Mendip Hills
Settlements	Ashwick Axbridge Banwell Bishop Sutton Blagdon Bleadon Burrington Charterhouse Cheddar Chewton Mendip Churchill Compton Bishop Compton Martin Cross Draycott East Harptree Easton Hinton Blewett Hutton Leigh-on-Mendip Litton Oakhill Priddy Rodney Stoke Rowberrow Sandford Shepton Mallet Shipham Ubley Webbington Wells West Harptree Westbury-sub-Mendip Winscombe Wookey Hole
Rivers and lakes	River Axe Cheddar Yeo River Chew River Yeo Lox Yeo River Blagdon Lake Cheddar Reservoir Chew Valley Lake Litton Reservoirs
Hills	Axbridge Hill Black Down Bleadon Hill Burledge Hill Crook Peak Fry's Hill Pen Hill Purn Hill Shute Shelve Hill Wavering Down
Caves and gorges	Attborough Swallet Aveline's Hole Axbridge Ochre Mine Banwell Caves Banwell Ochre Caves Burrington Combe Charterhouse Cave Cheddar Gorge Compton Martin Ochre Mine Cox's Cave Eastwater Cavern Ebbor Gorge Fairy Cave Quarry GB Cave Goatchurch Cavern Gough's Cave Hunter's Hole Lamb Leer Longwood Swallet Manor Farm Swallet Picken's Hole Pierre's Pot Priddy Caves Read's Cavern Reservoir Hole Rhino Rift Rod's Pot Shatter Cave Shute Shelve Cavern Sidcot Swallet St Cuthbert's Swallet St. Dunstan's Well Catchment Stoke Lane Slocker Swildon's Hole Thrupe Lane Swallet Tyning's Barrow Swallet Upper Flood Swallet W/L Cave Wookey Hole Caves
Quarries	Batts Combe Callow Rock Cloford Cloud Colemans Cook's Wood Doulting Stone Dulcote Emborough Fairy Cave Gurney Slade Halecombe Hobbs Holwell Moon's Hill Torr Works Viaduct Whatley Windsor Hill
SSSIs	Asham Wood Axbridge Hill and Fry's Hill Banwell Caves Banwell Ochre Caves Barns Batch Spinney Blagdon Lake Bleadon Hill Brimble Pit and Cross Swallet Basins Burledge Hill Burrington Combe Chancellor's Farm Cheddar Complex Cheddar Reservoir Cheddar Wood Chew Valley Lake Cloford Quarry Compton Martin Ochre Mine Cook's Wood Quarry Crook Peak to Shute Shelve Hill Dolebury Warren Draycott Sleights Ebbor Gorge Emborough Quarries Harptree Combe Hobbs Quarry Holwell Quarries Kingdown and Middledown Lamb Leer Priddy Caves Priddy Pools Perch Rodney Stoke St. Dunstan's Well Catchment Sandpit Hole and Bishop's Lot Shiplate Slait Viaduct Quarry Windsor Hill Quarry Wurt Pit and Devil's Punchbowl
History	Priddy Circles Cheddar Man Drove Cottage Henge Dolebury Warren Charterhouse Roman Town Fosse Way King John's Hunting Lodge, Axbridge Priddy Mineries Somerset Coalfield Somerset Coal Canal Cheddar Valley line East Somerset Railway
Transport	Mendip Rail Mendip Way Monarch's Way National Cycle Route 24 A37 road A39 road A368 road A371 road
Councils	Bath and North East Somerset North Somerset Somerset
Surrounding areas	Chew Valley Somerset Levels North Somerset Levels

Biological Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Avon

Neighbouring areas: Gloucestershire; Somerset; Wiltshire

Geological Sites of Special Scientific Interest in North Somerset

Neighbouring areas: Gloucestershire; Somerset; Wiltshire