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Jurassic Coast
Budleigh Pebble Beds - Mountains and rivers
Location: Budleigh Salterton
Rock Type: Red conglomerate and red sandstone
Age: Triassic 245 - 240 million years old
Look out for: The Budleigh Salterton pebble beds and fossil plant roots (rhizocretions)
Warning: The cliffs to the west of Budleigh Salterton are unstable and dangerous. Stay clear of the cliff face.
The geology in detail
There are two rock sequences seen at Budleigh Salterton; The Budleigh Salterton Pebble Beds and the Otter Sandstones. Both can be seen to dip eastward.
The pebble beds are a conglomerate formed from large rounded pebbles of a hard stone called quartzite and can be seen to the west of the sea front. The size and shape of the pebbles indicates they were carried by fast flowing water and deposited quickly, while the red colour shows that the layers of pebbles formed on land. The likely process of deposition was a large, fast flowing and braided river. The size of the pebbles gets smaller towards the north suggesting that the rivers flowed from the south.
The Pebble Beds are overlain by the Otter Sandstones, which are seen along the sea front at Budleigh Salterton and to the east over the mouth of the River Otter. They are easily recognised by the deep eroded hollows, rhizocretions (fossil roots) and cross bedding.
The ancient environment
The pebble beds represent a huge river that swept in from a mountain range in what is now France and very quickly deposited a thick sequence of river gravels. The overlying Otter Sandstones formed after a brief very dry period and indicate the return of large braided rivers, but this time depositing sand. With rivers offering a source of water in an arid landscape, ancient reptiles and plants could colonise the desert.Loading...
Orcombe Point - The beginning of the story
The western end of the World Heritage Site and the oldest rocks on the Jurassic Coast. Striking Red sandstones and mudstones can be seen in the cliff and the ‘geoneedle' on top of Orcombe point marks the start of the ‘walk through time'.
Budleigh Pebble Beds - Mountains and rivers
An incredible river deposit of pebbles from
across the channel and sandstones with ancient plant roots.
Ladram Bay - Sea stacks and the E.Devon AONB
Ladram Bay is a picturesque beach characterised by several
high sea stacks. It is one of the highlights of the East Devon Area of
Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)
Sidmouth - Desert dweller in the Otter Sandstone
Sidmouth is a traditional British seaside town bounded
within a wedge of red sandstone.
Beer - A story of stone Part 1
Beer is a picturesque fishing village and a source for
the famous Beer Stone.
Lyme Regis - World famous fossil site
Lyme Regis is famous worldwide for the abundant and
well preserved fossils that are found there eroded from the local cliffs.
Charmouth - World famous fossil site
Charmouth is famous worldwide for the abundant and
well preserved fossils that are found there eroded from the local cliffs.
Golden Cap - The highest view on the south coast
Golden Cap is the highest point on the south
coast and gives a fantastic viewpoint of this western part of the World
Heritage Site.
Chesil Beach - Finest barrier beach in Europe
Chesil Bank is one of the finest examples of a barrier
beach in Europe. Its formation is a direct
result of impact of the Ice ages on the geology and coastal processes of West Dorset.
Osmington Mills - Traces of life
Fantastic trace fossils can be seen on the beach at
Osmington Mills. Some of the best along the whole of the Jurassic Coast.
Durdle Door - The natural arch
Durdle Door, a huge natural rock arc, is an internationally
famous landmark and one of the most characteristic and spectacular features
along the Jurassic
Coast.
Lulworth Cove & Crumple - a geography pilgrimage
Lulworth Cove is a quintessential location for
the study of different rates of erosion in the formation of bays and headlands.
It is also a beautiful and popular tourist destination.
Old Harry Rocks - The end of the story
This is the eastern end of the Jurassic Coast
and where the youngest rocks on the world Heritage Site are exposed. Brilliant
white chalk has been eroded into steep cliffs and the famous collection of sea
stacks known as ‘Old Harry Rocks'.
Copyright 2011 Jurassic Coast
Copyright 2011 Jurassic Coast