Shepshed Cutting

{{Short description|Protected area in Leicestershire, England}}

{{Infobox SSSI

|image= Disused railway cutting, Blackbrook Wood, Shepshed, Leicestershire - geograph.org.uk - 126643.jpg

|image_caption =

|name= Shepshed Cutting

|aos= Leicestershire

|interest=Geological

|gridref={{gbmappingsmall|SK 461 185 }}

|area= {{convert| 6.0 |ha|acre|abbr=off}}

|notifydate= 1985

|map=[http://magic.defra.gov.uk/MagicMap.aspx?startTopic=Designations&activelayer=sssiIndex&query=HYPERLINK%3D%271001903%27 Magic Map]

}}

Shepshed Cutting is a {{convert| 6.0|ha|acre|abbr=off}} geological Site of Special Scientific Interest west of Shepshed in Leicestershire.{{cite web|url= https://designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk/SiteDetail.aspx?SiteCode=S1001903&SiteName=shepshed&countyCode=&responsiblePerson=&SeaArea=&IFCAArea= |title=Designated Sites View: Shepshed Cutting | series= Sites of Special Scientific Interest|publisher=Natural England|accessdate = 14 November 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://magic.defra.gov.uk/MagicMap.aspx?startTopic=Designations&activelayer=sssiIndex&query=HYPERLINK%3D%271001903%27 |title=Map of Shepshed Cutting|series= Sites of Special Scientific Interest|publisher=Natural England|accessdate= 14 November 2017}}

The Triassic deposits in Shepshed Cutting are unique, with a flat sheet of galena resting on red clay, and the whole enclosed in sandstone. The site is described by Natural England as "of international importance for developing a better understanding of the origins of mineral deposits and the processes which form them".{{cite web|url= http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1001903.pdf |title=Shepshed Cutting citation|series= Sites of Special Scientific Interest|publisher=Natural England|accessdate= 14 November 2017}}

A public footpath runs through the site.