Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
Location | Surrey |
---|---|
Grid reference | TQ 110 374[1] |
Interest | Geological |
Area | 56.0 hectares (138 acres)[1] |
Notification | 1992[1] |
Location map | Magic Map |
Smokejack Clay Pit is a 56-hectare (140-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest east of Cranleigh in Surrey.[1][2] It is a Geological Conservation Review site.[3][4]
This site exposes Lower Cretaceous rocks of the Weald Clay Group, which have been studied since 1983. Fossils of six orders of insects have been recorded and an unusual level of details has been preserved. It is the best Weald Clay reptile site, with crocodile teeth, coprolites and part of an Iguanodon. The holotype specimen of the fish eating theropod dinosaur, Baryonyx walkeri was discovered on the site in January 1983.[5][6]