Keates’ Quarry, Worth Matravers SY985.780

Site description: Working quarry.

Geology: Lower Cretaceous, Purbeck Limestone Group. Middle Purbeck, Building Stones. A working quarry, in which unusually large dinosaur footprints were uncovered in the bottom bed of the Freestone Vein. On the bedding surfaces exposed in the recent past ripple marks and desiccation cracks have been seen. These were subsequently quarried and are no longer visible.

See illustration below which is an artist’s impression of the conditions when the rock was being formed in early Cretaceous times around 135 million years ago.

Access: By prior arrangement, e-mail us for contact details.