and Visiting Scientist at:
Faculty of Natural and Environmental Sciences,
Southampton University,
Website hosted by iSolutions, Website archived at the
British Library
Aerial photographs courtesy of The Channel Coastal Observatory .
R.H. Worth Prize award for website by the
Geological Society of London (2008)
Photography, copyright and IT agents - Tonya West and Joanna Bentley.
Click on images for large, high resolution versions!
This is the first page of a large set of Geological descriptive pages on the Wessex Coast of southern England, much of it a UNESCO World Heritage Site ("Jurassic Coast"). This is a classic area of East Devon, Dorset, Hampshire, West Sussex and the Isle of Wight. These geological webpages form one of the world's largest geological web sites with more than 100 separate web pages. The first versions were placed online in 1997 and they are improved and enlarged on a daily basis.
There are now thousands of full screen, colour photographs of varied geological and geomorphological features and there are also associated geological bibliographies. The text in each webpage has linked references to the appropriate bibliography. The study and descriptions have emphasis on the superb coastal exposures of Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous and Palaeogene strata are well-seen in the cliffs of this beautiful coastline. The various localities, many of them well-known classic sites, are described in terms of stratigraphy, sedimentology, geomorphology, faunal content and coast erosion and progradation, in addition to general background information on the environment. In additional there are some associated webpages on other specific geological topics such as sabkhas and Pyrenean geology. A search entry box will be found below.
This site has very heavy use - more than half a million requests per week, including each photographic image. Thus, it is no longer necessary to keep any records of use, and there is no objective in obtaining additional visitors, although they are, of course, very welcome. The main aim is to improve the quality of the site academically for existing users and to provide an even greater quantity of detailed and reliable geological information.
Some safety guidance and safety warnings are given in specific webpages. These warnings are not comprehensive and may not be sufficient for all types of groups visiting the coast. The objectives of the website relate primarily to field work by geologists, researchers, university students, visiting groups or scientific societies and the safety warnings are intended primarily for these types of visitors. This website is frequently used by schools and such use is welcomed. However, some field localities, cliff sites etc, which are commonly visited by geologists may be unsuitable in terms of safety for school parties or individual children, and the website is not specifically planned as guidance for this type of field use. It is hoped that schools and school parties find it useful, but more stringent safety rules may be needed in the field (the author has experience only of leading university, society and oil company parties). Thus this is primarily a geological website for geologists, but it is intended also to be useful for other purposes, including information for general visitors and school parties. .
The technical level of the website is not at mathematical research level, but only at intermediate geological level, easily readable by anyone with a degree in geology, equivalent amateur experience, or just a geological interest.
(do not use browser zoom on the low resolution versions)
Some Selected Links on Wessex Coast Geology
Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site.
The Dorset and East Devon Coast World Heritage Site is England's first natural World Heritage Site - it is known as The Jurassic Coast. It covers 95 miles of coastline from East Devon to Dorset, with rocks recording 185 million years of the Earth's history.
The Channel Coastal Observatory , Southampton University, Southampton
Large-scale, vertical, aerial photographs of the Wessex Coast are available free for downloading to persons who register with this organisation. In addition there is much more technical information, such as Lidar and Multibeam Bathymetry. This is a highly recommended website. The following notes are from the Channel Coastal Observatory website.
"..The Channel Coastal Observatory is the data management and regional coordination centre for the Southeast Regional Coastal Monitoring Programme. The programme provides a consistent regional approach to coastal process monitoring, providing information for development of strategic shoreline management plans, coastal defence strategies and operational management of coastal protection and flood defence. The programme is managed on behalf of the Coastal Groups of the Southeast of England and is funded by DEFRA, in partnership with local Authorities of the southeast of England and the Environment Agency. The Channel Coastal Observatory is hosted by New Forest District Council, in partnership with the University of Southampton."
Dorset Geologists' Association Group.
This very active, local organisation holds
field trips and lectures in Dorset and surrounding areas. These is not necessarily limited to famous locations but also to less well known coastal and inland areas. They are involved in many other activities, such as keeping local records, and these are listed on their website. Their Newsletter, which is online, contains reports on field trips.
Dorset Historic Coastal Photographs.
Exmouth to Milford on Sea 1800-2000 (including the East Devon and Dorset
World Heritage Site). by Doreen Smith of the Dorset Group of the Geologists' Association.
These pages grew out of an original project to celebrate 150 years of the Geologists' Association and 200 years of the Geological Society. To this end I began collecting postcards, magic lantern slides, etchings and whatever else I could obtain on the subject of the WHS coastline. [continues]
UK Onshore Geophysical Library
.
This is the major source of onshore seismic data for the UK, including that of the Wessex Coast area, suc as Devon, Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
"With over 75,000km of available seismic survey data as acquired by the onshore exploration industry, the Library strives to locate all available data items pertaining to each seismic profile, with the aim of providing a fully reconciled archive of original pre-stack field records de-multiplexed to SEG-Y."
Shown here is a north-south seismic section across the Weymouth Anticline, modified and with some notes added. See the original seismic section by going to the website:
UK Onshore Geophysical Library.
DIGS, 2009. The Purbeck Limestone Group: Virtual geology field trips to Purbeck limestone quarries in south Dorset. CD. For more details see: DIGS in the Purbeck Group Bibliography.
Gesource: geography and environment gateway for UK HE and FE.
GEsource is the geography and environment hub of the Resource Discovery Network (RDN). GEsource provides access to high quality Internet resources for students, researchers and practitioners in geography and the environment through five distinct subject gateways: Environment, General Geography, Human Geography, Physical Geography, and Techniques and Approaches.
Wessex Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club.
"Eye in the Sky" - superb oblique aerial photographs of the Wessex Coast.
See Home Page of Wessex Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I am very grateful to the many people and organisations who have helped in one way or another to make it possible to run this website. Individual acknowledgements are given in particular webpages on specific places. Southampton University has supported this site over the years. I particularly thank the Head of the School of Ocean and Earth Sciences, the Dean of the Faculty of Natural Science and the Environment, Professor Jonathon Bull, Dr. Ian Croudace and others who have helped keep the website running. I thank Frances Bradbury for regular help over the years. I appreciate the generous cooperation of iSolutions, Southampton University.
My wife and family have assisted in many ways and their help is greatfully acknowledged. I very much appreciate the cooperation of the Channel Coastal Observatory in making available excellent aerial photographs of the region of study.
Ian West has been awarded the R.H. Worth Prize for 2008 of the
Geological Society of London for the application to amateur geology of the website, the Geology of the Wessex Coast, of which this webpage is the introductory part. Agents and assistants regarding this website are:
Tonya West, Bartley, Hampshire, email - tonyawesty@hotmail.co.uk (copyright and photography agent), and Joanna Bentley, Albrighton, West Midlands.
Disclaimer: Geological fieldwork involves some level of risk; part may come from chance events that are unpredictable; part, however, can be greatly reduced by awareness of hazards and good judgement based on experience. Persons undertaking field work must assess the risk, as far as possible, and this will vary in accordance with weather, conditions on the day and the type of persons involved. In providing field descriptions on the Internet no person is advised or recommended here to undertake geological field work in any way that might involve them in unreasonable risk from cliffs, ledges, rocks, sea or other causes. Individuals and leaders should carefully consider the safety aspects on the occasion of their visit, take appropriate safety precautions, and in bad conditions be prepared to cancel part or all of the field trip if necessary. Permission should be sought for entry into private land and clearly 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. See the safety sections in individual webpages. Descriptions of geological and geomorphological features, discussion of 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 and this website should not be used beyond its purpose of providing academic information.
Note that the website has been written at Ian West's private address, Romsey, Hampshire, kindly supported by Southampton University, and generously web-hosted by courtesy of iSolutions of Southampton University. The website is an unfunded, private activity, and does not necessarily represent the views of Southampton University. It has no staff, other than Ian West, and no funding for field work or computer work or any related activity. All practical expenses are paid privately by the author and all diagrams are drawn by the author. It is not edited. Various geologists have kindly contributed photographs or data. Field trips shown in photographs do not necessarily have any connection with Southampton University and may have been private or have been run by various organisations. Southampton University has been consistently helpful with running this website on the server for about 15 years, and this is very much appreciated.
.
Dr. Ian West is a university geologist, long a member of staff of Southampton University, now officially retired, with status of Visiting Scientist, but very busy with geological website work almost every day. He is a carbonate-evaporite sedimentologist and Jurassic enthusiast, who has long studied and researched on the Wessex Coast (and also in North Africa etc). He started by collecting vertebrate fossils from the local strata, in the early 1950s. He is often out on the cliffs of the Wessex Coast studying and photographing for this website. When not doing geology he is involved with family horses in the New Forest, and he is a member of the British Horse Society. This website is run, privately and unfunded, from his study at home in Romsey, Hampshire with the helpful cooperation of the
Faculty of Natural and Environmental Sciences,
, Southampton University, and iSolutions (computer services) Southampton University. These webpages could never have been written without the generous background support and guidance of Ian's wife, Cathy and the daughters, Tonya and Joanna, and this is very much appreciated.