Jurassic Coast

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

**Dorset and East Devon Coast**^a
**UNESCO World Heritage Site**

State Party	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Type	Natural
Criteria	viii
Identification	#1029
Region^b	Europe and North America
Inscription History
Formal Inscription:	2001 25th Session
a Name as officially inscribed on the WH List b As classified officially by UNESCO

The Jurassic Coast is a World Heritage Site on the English Channel coast of southern England. The 95 mile (155km) long site stretches from Orcombe Point near Exmouth in East Devon to Old Harry Rocks near Swanage in East Dorset. ^[1] Chartered in 2001, the Jurassic coast was the first natural World Heritage Site to be designated in the United Kingdom, and as of 2007 remains the only in England. Its entire length can be walked on the South West Coast Path.^[2]

1 Geology
2 History
3 Gateway towns
4 See also
5 References
6 External links
7 Artwork
8 Photographs

[edit] Geology

Location within the United Kingdom.

The Jurassic Coast consists of Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous cliffs, spanning the Mesozoic Era, documenting 180 million years of geological history. The site contains a number of unique geological features and shows excellent examples of different landforms, including the natural arch at Durdle Door, the cove and limestone folding at Lulworth Cove and an island, the Isle of Portland. Chesil Beach is a fine example of both a tombolo and a storm beach. The site has stretches of both concordant and discordant coastlines. Due to the quality of the varied geology, the site is the subject of international field studies. This area was home to Mary Anning, a Paleontologist who studied the fossils of the coastline around Lyme Regis and discovered the first complete Ichthyosaur fossil.

[edit] History

Lyme Bay.

The site was featured on the television programme Seven Natural Wonders as one of the wonders of the South West (of the UK), and in a 2005 poll of Radio Times readers, the Jurassic Coast was named as the 5th greatest natural wonder in Britain.

During World War II several sections of the Jurassic Coast became property of the then Ministry of War. One of the Royal Navy's largest bases was at Portland Harbour, though it has since closed. A major army base at Bovington remains in use today, and large areas of land, including the coast between Lulworth Cove and Kimmeridge, including Tyneham ghost village, is still only partially accessible. Areas of the coast near Exmouth, The Fleet at Weymouth and the beaches at Studland were also used for training during the war, but have since been returned to civilian use.

Parts of the coast, especially around Portland, can be very dangerous, and frequent shipwrecks have been a feature of the coast throughout recorded history. In January 2007 the coast experienced its most environmentally damaging wreck when the MSC Napoli, a 2,400 capacity container ship was beached at Branscombe near Sidmouth, losing oil and cargo.^[3]

[edit] Gateway towns

Durdle Door

West Bay forms a major gateway to the Jurassic Coast with the completion in 2004 of the Jurassic Pier.^[4] Weymouth is also a major gateway town, near the centre of the world heritage site. A World Heritage Coast Centre is to be built in the town by 2011.^[5]

Other gateway towns include: