Slipping clifftop, Bran Point - geograph

Bran Point is a small headland on the

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of ...

coast in southern England, about halfway between the small villages of Ringstead to the east and Osmington Mills to the west. There is a picturesque cliff-top path between the two villages via Bran Point. The name derives from the brown colouring of the rock forming the cliffs of the headland, caused in part by residual oil deposits.Watson, D. F.; Hindle, A. D. and Farrimond P. (2000) "Organic geochemistry of petroleum seepages within the Jurassic Bencliff Grit, Osmington Mills, Dorset, UK" ''Petroleum Geoscience'' 6(4): pp. 289-297 The

geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ea ...

of the area is particularly interesting. The coastline in the area is formed from rocks and shingle with exposed cliffs behind. The Middle White

Oolite Oolite or oölite (''egg stone'') is a sedimentary rock formed from ooids, spherical grains composed of concentric layers. The name derives from the Ancient Greek word for egg (ᾠόν). Strictly, oolites consist of ooids of diameter 0.25� ...

of the Osmington Oolite more visible to the west has descended to beach level here. At the middle of the cliff, there is nodular rubble consisting of calcitized sponge

spicule Spicules are any of various small needle-like anatomical structures occurring in organisms Spicule may also refer to: * Spicule (sponge), small skeletal elements of sea sponges *Spicule (nematode), reproductive structures found in male nematodes ...

s. Higher in the cliff are reddish brown beds containing ''Trigonia clavellata''

fossil 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 ...

References

Headlands of Dorset Jurassic Coast {{Dorset-geo-stub

See also

References