School of Ocean and Earth Science ,
National Oceanography Centre, Southampton Southampton University,
Website hosted by courtesy of iSolutions, Southampton University
Aerial photographs by courtesy of The Channel Coastal Observatory , National Oceanography Centre, Southampton.

|Home and List of Webpages |Lulworth Cove |Fossil Forest |Dungy Head & St. Oswald's Bay | Lulworth Geological Bibliography
|Ringstead to White Nothe
Selected external links: |Jurassic Coast - World Heritage Site |

Click here for the full LIST OF WEBPAGES

New webpage in preparation

INTRODUCTION:

General

The area around Bowleaze Cove and from the cove to Redcliff Point is an area of interest in terms of stratigraphy, sedimentology, geomorphology and paleontology. The Upper Jurassic (Oxfordian) Corallian strata are well-exposed in the cliffs, and are fossiliferous and with well-preserved trace fossils. The Upper Oxford Clay (Oxfordian) is exposed at Redcliff Point, where plesiosaur remains have been found, and at Furzey Cliff or Jordan Cliff, just to the west of Bowleaze Cove.

Quaternary deposits of Bowleaze Cove are quite fossiliferous. Notable features are the remains of elephants.

A major landslide occur in the Corallian cliff between the Bowleaze Cove holiday park and Redcliff Point.

INTRODUCTION:

Access

INTRODUCTION:

Safety

Probably the main hazard on this cliff section is that of slipping on irregular rocks on the shore. A certain amount of easy scrambling over boulders and fallen rocks may be needed. There is some risk of being cut off by the tide, but the cliffs are not steep and a scramble up the slope may be possible. However, the cliffs can have areas of soft mud like quick-sand and therefore care is needed to traverse the cliffs. Falling rocks are only a small possibility because although they can slide or tumble down the cliffs the cliffs are not very steep or high.

STRATIGRAPHY:

Corallian Strata

STRATIGRAPHY:

Quaternary Deposits

STRATIGRAPHY

Quaternary Deposits - Elephants

Elephant remains have been found in Pleistocene deposits at Bowleaze Cove.

REFERENCES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I am grateful to the students of London South Bank University for participating with me in field work on the cliffs between Bowleaze Cove and Redcliff Point, and to other students in the past who have been involved in my field trips here. My wife Cathy has very kindly provided background support for the production of this and all the other webpages. I thank Alan Holiday and his students for several good photographs of the strata and fossil in the Bowleaze Cove area.

Copyright © 2009 Ian West and Tonya West. All rights reserved. This is a purely academic website and images and text may not be copied for publication or for use on other webpages or for any commercial activity. A reasonable number of images and some text may be used for non-commercial academic purposes, including field trip handouts, lectures, student projects, dissertations etc, providing source is acknowledged.

Disclaimer: Geological fieldwork involves some level of risk, which can be reduced by knowledge, experience and appropriate safety precautions. Persons undertaking field work should assess the risk, as far as possible, in accordance with weather, conditions on the day and the type of persons involved. In providing field guides on the Internet no person is advised here to undertake geological field work in any way that might involve them in unreasonable risk from cliffs, ledges, rocks, sea or other causes. Not all places need be visited and the descriptions and photographs here can be used as an alternative to visiting. Individuals and leaders should take appropriate safety precautions, and in bad conditions be prepared to cancell part or all of the field trip if necessary. Permission should be sought for entry into private land and no damage should take place. Attention should be paid to weather warnings, local warnings and danger signs. No liability for death, injury, damage to, or loss of property in connection with a field trip is accepted by providing these websites of geological information. Discussion of geological and geomorphological features, coast erosion, coastal retreat, storm surges etc are given here for academic and educational purposes only. They are not intended for assessment of risk to property or to life. No liability is accepted if this website is used beyond its academic purposes in attempting to determine measures of risk to life or property.

Webpage - written and produced by:

Ian West, M.Sc. Ph.D. F.G.S.

.

at his private address, in connection with the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton (NOCS),and web-hosted by courtesy of the iSolutions of Southampton University.