This hugely diverse and beautiful landscape holds hundreds of millions of years of history through its geology – and that is what makes it Jurassic. Three time periods of Earth span its rocks, here’s how jurassiccoast.org explains it:
“252 million years ago: This area of the Earth’s crust was stretching and sinking. As it sank, layers of sediment piled one on top of the other to form rocks. First, in baking deserts during the Triassic Period (252 – 201 million years ago) and then in the Jurassic period (201 – 145 million years ago), sea level rose and changed the desert into a tropical sea.
At the close of the Jurassic sea levels fell, a forest grew then died and was buried beneath the sediments of lagoons swamps and rivers. This was the start of the Cretaceous (145 – 66 million years ago. During this period, earth movements tilted the rock layers to the east. The rocks pushed up in the west were eroded.
Soon, the sea rose again and during the rest of the Cretaceous sandstone and Chalk were laid down across the region, burying the tilted layers of older rock.
Since that time erosion has carved this remarkable rock record into the landscape we see today.
Through this coastline’s unique geology, visitors can understand the profound environmental changes that occur across millions of years of time. The fossils of strange and terrifying extinct creatures that tumble from their cliffs have the potential to change the way we see the world. And out of its rock falls, landslides and storm-battered beaches, we gain insights into the creation of the coastline itself. In short, the Jurassic Coast is a truly outstanding place to explore Earth’s history, the evolution of life and the natural processes that shape our world.”
So there’s your history/science lesson! The beauty of this landscape has to be seen to be believed. It makes for a truly stunning holiday destination – so make sure you pack your camera! There’s an opportunity here for a lazy summer beach day, a family BBQ, and beautiful walks throughout any season. Visitors flock back here time and time again for the serenity of the coastline, the rocks hold many stories that truly stimulate the mind.