The Ringstead Coral Bed (also sometimes in the plural) is a
geological formation
A geological formation, or simply formation, is a body of rock having a consistent set of physical characteristics (lithology) that distinguishes it from adjacent bodies of rock, and which occupies a particular position in the layers of rock expo ...
with fossilized
coral
Corals are colonial marine invertebrates within the subphylum Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact Colony (biology), colonies of many identical individual polyp (zoology), polyps. Coral species include the important Coral ...
in
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. It preserves
fossils
A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...
dating back to the
Jurassic
The Jurassic ( ) is a Geological period, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately 143.1 Mya. ...
period
Period may refer to:
Common uses
* Period (punctuation)
* Era, a length or span of time
*Menstruation, commonly referred to as a "period"
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Period (music), a concept in musical composition
* Periodic sentence (o ...
.
The beds are exposed at
Ringstead Bay
__NOTOC__
Ringstead Bay is an bay, open bay of the English Channel located east of Weymouth, Dorset, Weymouth in Dorset, England. The bay lies on the Jurassic Coast and in the Dorset National Landscape area, and is known for its natural environm ...
in
Dorset
Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...
, on the
Jurassic Coast
The Jurassic Coast, also known as the Dorset and East Devon Coast, is a World Heritage Site on the English Channel coast of southern England. It stretches from Exmouth in East Devon to Studland Bay in Dorset, a distance of about , and was ins ...
, hence the name.
See also
*
List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in England
See also
* Lists of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Europe
* Lists of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in the United Kingdom
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fossiliferous stratigraphic units in England
England
England is a Countr ...
*
Jurassic Coast
The Jurassic Coast, also known as the Dorset and East Devon Coast, is a World Heritage Site on the English Channel coast of southern England. It stretches from Exmouth in East Devon to Studland Bay in Dorset, a distance of about , and was ins ...
*
Ringstead Bay
__NOTOC__
Ringstead Bay is an bay, open bay of the English Channel located east of Weymouth, Dorset, Weymouth in Dorset, England. The bay lies on the Jurassic Coast and in the Dorset National Landscape area, and is known for its natural environm ...
References
Further reading
*
Jurassic England
Jurassic Coast
Geology of Dorset
{{England-stub