dorset coast

• Outline the Dorset coast.

  • Dorset is located on the south-west coast of England.

  • On its south coast the layers of rock run parallel to the coast, forming a smooth, concordant coastline.

  • On its east coast, alternating layers of hard and soft rock run at right angles to the coast, forming a discordant coastline with a wide variety of landforms.
• Describe Kimmeridge Bay and how it formed.

  • The cliffs at Kimmeridge Bay have extensive wave-cut, dolerite platforms, which slope gently down to the sea.

  • The wave-cut platforms formed where destructive waves eroded the cliff face, causing undercutting between the high and low water marks.
• Describe Lulworth Cove and how it formed.

  • At Lulworth Cove, waves broke through a weakness in the limestone to expose softer clays and greensand rocks.

  • These softer rocks eroded more quickly than the surrounding harder rocks to form this large bay.
• Describe Ballard Head and how it formed.

  • Ballard Head is a resistant chalk headland. Both sides of the headland were eroded by waves to form caves and arches.

  • Over time, some arches collapsed and formed isolated stacks several metres high. These are known as Old Harry Rocks. Further erosion caused these stacks to collapse, forming stumps.
• Describe Chesil Beach and how it formed.

  • Chesil Beach is an example of a sand and shingle bay bar, formed by the deposition of sediment through longshore drift.

  • It stretches across the mouths of several bays and joins the Isle of Portland to the mainland.