Saturday 28 April 2012

LINES OF TIME

Cliffs at Charmouth in Dorset showing some of the layers laid down through pre-history and the grassy, earthy present.

8 comments:

Kranky Granny said...

Wonderful shot. Delighted that I do not see evidence of four wheelers and dirt bikes all over the hillside.

Lucy Corrander : Photos said...

Morning Rita! (At least - it's morning here!)

You couldn't ride bikes up this. For a start, the first bit is almost vertical, the rest is! Another - the grey stuff it's made of . . . if you try to climb it when it's wet you can sink into it or cause a landslide. When it's dry . . . the cliff is very fragile . . . and you can cause a landslide. This is where Mary Anning first found fossils and after rough weather, the sea still washes fossils out of the cliffs. People are welcome (even encouraged)to collect fossils - but for ordinary people (ie not scientists) this means walking along the beach to see if you can find something. The best time is when the weather has been bad, the sea has battered the cliffs and there has been erosion or, I suppose . . . a landslide! None the less, most winters, it seems to me, the rescue services have to go out and . . . well . . . rescue people.

Hermes said...

I found some fossils around here, small but quite clear.

Andy said...

I see what you mean by lines of time.

Anonymous said...

That looks quite eerie to me.

Taken For Granted said...

Yes, a natural laboratory for geologist and archeologists who use these strata to measure time. These cliffs also are visually fascinating as your photo shows.

Lucy Corrander : Photos said...

Hi Hermes. There seems to be an unlimited supply of fossils at Charmouth but it's still exciting to find them. There are many wonderful ordinary stones too.

Hi, Andy. The lines go into folds further along so, if I understand it correctly, some of the older layers land up on top of newer ones. In a place like this (and at Lulworth too) you can see where this has happened. That the earth is as maleable as it is over time, as well as being as tough as it is is breathtaking.

Hi Toffee Apple. You are right. It is eerie. Beautiful too once you get used to it. Very atmospheric in winter. There are places along the Dorset coast where I find it hard to believe I am in England, it is so much out of character with what I know of the rest of the country.

Hello Taken for Granted. Charmouth is a geologist's dream.

magiceye said...

beautifully captured!