User:Huligan0/Gad Cliff

Gad Cliff
on the south coast of the Isle of Purbeck

Gad Cliff is a south-facing cliff face, immediately to the east of Worbarrow Tout and Pondfield Cove, on the south coast of the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset, England.

Location

Worbarrow Tout, Pondfield Cove and Gad Cliff

Worbarrow Tout and Gad Cliff
view from the sea off Worbarrow Bay

Gad Cliff is located about one kilometre south of the ghost village of Tyneham and about six kilometres south of Wareham. Gad Cliff is about two Kilometres west of Kimmeridge Bay and about 14 kilometres due west of Swanage

Gad Cliff is only accessible when the Lulworth Military Range is open to the public. It can be reached either by an up hill walk from the car park alongside the ghost village of Tyneham, or alternatively via coastal walk from Kimmeridge Bay along the South West Coast Path. The military firing range is owned by the Ministry of Defence and is part of the Armoured Fighting Vehicles Gunnery School. The 7,500-acre (30 km²) range lies within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and stretches along the coastline between Lulworth Cove to just west of Kimmeridge. Safety warnings about explosives and unexploded shells are posted at Mupe Bay by the MoD, visitors are advised to keep to official footpaths and abide to local site notices, because tanks and Armoured vehicles are used in this area.

The highest point of Gad Cliff is about 134 metres above sea-level. Gold Down is the most western part of this cliff face. Wagon Rock is a large boulder that has fallen from the upper parts of Gad Cliff onto the shoreline below.

Jurassic Coast

The Jurassic Coast is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The coastal exposures along the coastline provide a continuous sequence of Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous rock formations spanning approximately 185 million years of the Earths history. The Jurassic Coast stretches over a distance of 153 kilometres (95 mi), from Orcombe Point near Exmouth, in the west, to Old Harry Rocks in the east.

The rocks along the Jurassic Coast dip gently to the east. Due to this tilting and due to erosion the oldest exposed rocks are found in the west. The younger Cretaceous rocks form the cliffs here in the east.

Geology

Geology of the coast line from Worbarrow Bay to Gad Cliff

The geology of the Isle of Purbeck is very complex and this is shown very clearly along this stretch of coast. The extreme angular layers of rock visibly demonstrate the complex sedimentary folding that affected this area. The foldings, known as the Purbeck Monocline, took place some 30 million years ago and were caused by the tectonic pressures as the African and European continents collided. During this period, the sediments were twisted horizontally, this is why the younger Cretaceous formations are found at the rear of Worbarrow Bay. At Gad Cliff the sediments dip inland at an angel of 25 to 35 degrees. At the top of the cliffs it is clearly visible that the rocks have been folded into a huge S shaped kink as the result of earth movements.

The uppermost of Gad Cliff is formed by the Purbeck Beds, 147 million, and of Portland limestones, 150 million years old. These lie over a layer of Portland Sands and the underlying Kimmeridge Clay, which is about 155 million years old. The upper layer of the Kimmeridge Clay belongs the Kimmeridgian Stage sensu anglico. Due to the fact that harder Limestones and Sandstones are underlain by an unstable Clay, the cliff face is prone to landslides. At the very western end of Gad Cliff is Worbarrow Tout, which forms the southern bastion enclosing Worbarrow Bay, which is cut into the comparatively soft clays and sands of the Wealden Beds.