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This limestone arch is a frequently-shot feature of Dorset's Jurassic Coast. This shot is unusual for me because the sun is directly in the camera field of view, straight ahead. |
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The fossil forest is found on a terrace in the cliffs just east of Lulworth Cove. The forest dates back to the end of the Jurassic period, about 145 million years ago.
At the end of the Jurassic, the sea was becoming shallower until eventually a series of islands formed surrounded by swamps. Soils developed on the islands and for a brief period of geological time, a forest became established. Then water levels rose, drowning the trees. Thick mats of sticky algae grew across the forest floor and around the base of the trees and the fallen logs. Sediment stuck to the algae and then more algae formed on top, layer upon layer, forming algal stromatolites. So what we see today is a band of limestone that covers the soil and forms algal burrs around the wood. At one time fossil wood would have been present inside the doughnut shaped burrs but it was collected many years ago. This site lies inside the Lulworth Range, an army range for life firing. The Ranges are typically but not always, open during weekends and school holidays. Google ‘Lulworth Range opening times’ or phone +44 (0) 1929 462721 extension 4819 for details. For more information about the fossil forest and the amazing coast around, visit the Lulworth Heritage Centre. The web site ‘Geology of the Wessex Coast of Southern England’ has a detailed account of the geology. http://www.soton.ac.uk/~imw/Fossil-Forest.htm For more general information about the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, visit: www.jurassiccoast.com |
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The classic view of the Purbeck coast, used by W.J. Arkell on the front cover of his famous memoir ‘The Geology of the Country around Weymouth, Swanage, Corfe and Lulworth’. The rocks here straddle the Jurassic Cretaceous boundary. The boundary is somewhere in the beach, between the strikingly banded Purbeck Beds and the sea stacks of Mupe Rocks. This area lies within the Lulworth Army Ranges and access is restricted to school holidays and most weekends. Opening times, Google ‘Lulworth Range opening times’ or phone +44 (0) 1929 462721 extension 4819 for details. For more information about the geology of this area check out: http://www.soton.ac.uk/~imw/mupe.htm |
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As you can see there is some blank spaces in this photograph.I was sat on top of Worbarrow Tout hill and the wind was very strong.
Worbarrow Bay is a large broad and shallow bay just to the east of Lulworth Cove in Dorset, England, and is part of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. It exposes a sequence of Cretaceous rocks from the Chalk to the west through to the Purbeck Beds in the east, where they form the promontory known as Worbarrow Tout. This is arguably one of the best coastal sections of the Cretaceous in Europe.[citation needed] Worbarrow Bay is only accessible when the Lulworth army firing ranges are open to the public. It can be reached by a 1.4-kilometre (0.9 mi) walk down an easy track alongside Tyneham Gwyle, from the car park alongside the ghost village of Tyneham. The northwest end of the bay is known as Cow Corner. |
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Part of the Jurassic Coast, this cove is small and nearly a perfect circle. This is a shot from the beach just at the foot of West Lulworth. Read more at http://www.jurassiccoast.com/
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The Fossil Forest lies on a bench in the cliffs just east of Lulworth Cove. It is located within the Lulworth Army Ranges and is therefore only opne during school holidays and most, but not all weekends. This is the second gigapan image of the site as it shows some features better than the location just a little further west. For more detailed information about the geology of the area visit: http://www.soton.ac.uk/~imw/Fossil-Forest.htm For more general information about the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, visit www.jurassiccoast.com |