The Red Chalk Cliffs of Hunstanton, England Hunstanton is a small seaside town on the northwest coast of Norfolk, in England, and home to one of the few west-facing beaches on the east coast of the country where the sun can be seen to set over the sea. The town is fringed along its western edge by a stretch of dramatic cliffs with contrasting colours of orange, red and white sedimentary rocks. These coloured rocks reflect the changing depositional conditions that prevailed towards the end of the Early Cretaceous and the onset of the Late Cretaceous period, 108-99 million years ago. The cliff stretches for 1.5 km from Hunstanton promenade, gently dipping towards the beach at St Edmunds point, which is just over a mile away in Old Hunstanton. The cliff is generally inaccessible, except beneath the lighthouse, where it is possible to examine the exposed strata up close. The beach is littered with huge boulders or stones, covered in green moss, that lie in straight lines that defy nature. Walking along the beach, one can see three primary layers of rock exposed in the cliff face. At the top is white Ferriby Chalk; the middle is red chalk called Hunstanton Formation; and the bottom is the deep orange Carstone Formation.
Posted on: Sat, 22 Nov 2014 05:38:05 +0000
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