The Spetchells

This feature is a 1km long mound of calcium carbonate dumped between the River Tyne and the  Newcastle to Carlisle line of what was at the time, the London and North Eastern  Railway near to Prudhoe in Northumberland, UK. It was a waste  material produced by Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) as the result of manufacturing ammonium sulphate (for both fertiliser and explosives) during World War II. The manufacturing plant closed in 1963. The process involved using calcium sulphate obtained from powdered  gypsum (or anhydrite)  added to a solution of ammonium carbonate. Calcium carbonate precipitates out from the reaction.

The Spetchells are said to contain two and a half million tons of this artificial chalk. The dump was covered over with turf to make it less obvious to German bombers during wartime.

Ash and sycamore trees were planted on the slopes, and hornbeams on the top, in an attempt to stabilise the mounds. The Spetchells now support plants typical of the ungrazed chalk grasslands of southern England, and a specialised chalk-loving fauna has also moved in.The Spetchells are now home to a range of invertebrates including 14 species of butterflies, a nationally important solitary bee population, and many chalkland plants (including orchids). Due to the population of the endangered Dingy Skipper butterfly the Northumberland Wildlife Trust designated the Spetchells a Local Wildlife Site. Unfortunately the grassland habitat has recently become threatened by an invasion of several species. Concern about habitat and species loss  brought together a group of interested people who, in 2015, formed the Spetchells Conservation Interest Group (SCIG). They now have a team of volunteers which help to maintain the habitat. Native site-specific wildflower re-seeding and a small amount of tree planting is also carried out.

Had this waste material originated today it is unlikely that regulators would simply allow it to be tipped but the exigencies of wartime resulted in material that could easily have been recycled being deposited and creating this amazing ecosystem.