Folds and Faults

The World Heritage Site to the east of Weymouth provides interesting walking and beaches with unusual features.  The coast is made up of a complex sequence of rocks, which have been jumbled up by geological folds and faults.  The cliffs in this part of the World Heritage Site are formed from Upper Jurassic clays, limestones and sandstones.

The coast around Osmington is famous amongst geologists because of a natural seep of oil rising from the seabed.  The rocks once formed an oil reservoir that has been breached by erosion.  On a calm day, oil can still be seen seeping onto the surface of the sea near Bran Point, between Osmington Mills and Ringstead.

Trace fossils

The coast around Osmington Mills is one of the best places to see trace fossils.  These are the fossilised burrows and marking made by ancient marine animals.  Several different trace fossils can be found on the beach and they provide evidence that the rocks formed in a warm shallow sea.

The massive cliff at White Nothe, east of Ringstead, is dominated by Cretaceous Chalk and sandstone, lying on top of Jurassic clays.  A large, ancient landslide marches down the cliff face like a giant's staircase.  A smaller slip in 1826 created the phenomenon know as ‘Burning Cliff', when a chemical reaction caused the organic-rich clays to start smouldering.