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1:250 000 Geological Map
This range of geological maps show the general geology of the area, they come in either folded (for taking on the field), or flat (for wall mounting)
Buy from UKGE |
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1: 50 000 Geological Map
This range of geological maps show the localised geology, they come in either folded (for taking on the field), or flat (for wall mounting)
Buy from UKGE |
Jurassic
GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE: Gondwanaland continues to break up, Graywacke,
shale and siliceous sediments formed. Continued mountain building.
mild, moist climates over most of the land.
TERRESTRIAL ANIMAL LIFE: Reptiles dominant with Crocodiles, turtles,
lizards and dinosaurs. Pterosaurs and Archaeopteryx take to the air.
Mammals begin to diversify. More advanced insects such as flies.
PLANT LIFE: Cycads, ginkos, conifers, ferns and tree ferns.
SEA LIFE: All major invertebrate groups well represented, ammonites and bivalves successful. Marine reptiles, Ichthyosaurs are Plesiosaurs.
Cretaceous
GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE: Seas flood half the land, Great thickness of
chalk, single-celled animals laid down. Land masses
begin to move towards their present positions. Climate mild without
extremes.
TERRESTRIAL ANIMAL LIFE: Advanced dinosaurs such as duck-bills. Turtles,
snakes,salamanders. Gulls and wading birds. Opossums & other mammals.
All dinosaurs and many other large reptiles extinct by the end of
the period.
PLANT LIFE: Gymnosperms, sequoias and cypresses. Flowering plants appear,
magnolias and oaks.
SEA LIFE: Plankton, coral reefs, rudists, ammonites, calcareous algae.
Marine reptiles and ammonites extinct by the end of the period.
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Geological Guide to Chippel Bay
Geologial Succession of Chippel Bay
The Blue Lias at Chippel Bay are an excellent chance to view the full succession. The upper Blue Lias beds from the Brick Ledge to the Table Ledge are not exposed at the centre of Chippel Bay, these are further inland, only beds H1-H9 are exposed due to the large landslide. Below the table ledge, the fish bed follows approximately 6 bands of Limestone), below this the Glass Bottle bed can be seen only during extreme scouring.
Shales with Beef and the Black Ven Marls can also be seen above the Blue Lias. The Gault is mostly covered up.
The beach is also littered with Cretaceous with the Albian, Upper Greensand. Blocks of Chert can be seen as in the photo above, these blocks contain trace fossils, worm tubes and a range of other worn fossils. The Cretaceous continues at Pinhay with the Upper, Middle and Lower Chalk above the Lias. If you look at the beach, it seems impossible to work out where these blocks have come from, there appears to be no such beds in the cliffs themselves, and it would be impossible for them to be exposed below the Lias at the foreshore. Instead these blocks have come from a massive landslip inland. The Lias cliffs have actually slipped and the Cretaceous beds which would normally be lying on top of the Lias are not present. The Cliffs are much higher inland.
Upper Greensand Chert Boulders
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