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Jurassic Coast
Golden Cap - The highest view on the south coast
Location: Golden Cap (a headland between
Charmouth and Seatown that rises to 191m from sea level)
Rock type: Mudstone, sandstone and river gravels
Age: 185 and 100 million years old
Look out for: On a clear day from the top of Golden Cap you can see Dartmoor!
The geology in detail
Golden Cap is comprised of two ages of rock from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. The base of the cliff is dark grey mudrock. The top of the cliff is made of superficially golden coloured sandstone called the Upper Greensand that formed in the Cretaceous Period about 100 million years ago. When fresh it is actually a striking green colour due to the presence of a marine clay mineral called glauconite, but when it is exposed to daylight and weathered glauconite turns a golden colour giving the headland its ‘golden cap'. The gap between these two rock types is called an unconformity and represents a break in the rock record caused by erosion. The very flat top of Golden Cap is actually a remnant of an ancient river terrace that formed after the Cretaceous. The gravely deposit was left behind by a river that was eroding the uplifted older rocks. Chert form the Upper Greensand can be found in the gravel, which bears testament to this time of erosion. This ancient river terrace can be traced inland forming the flat tops of hills to the north west of Golden Cap.
Golden Cap is part of the National Trust Golden Cap estate.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