Sandy Bay, Devon
Encyclopedia
Sandy Bay is a secluded bay with a sand beach, about one mile long, near Exmouth
, Devon
, England
. It is a sandy beach with rock pools at one end, it is backed by high cliffs, it is part of a long strip of sand which is connected to the beach at Exmouth at low tide. Nearby are the Orcombe rocks, which is a famous spot for fossils.
Sandy Bay is about sixteen kilometres south of the city of Exeter, four kilometres southeast of Exmouth and about eleven kilometres southwest of Sidmouth.
The seaside resort Bay is well known because of its Devon Cliffs. West of Sandy Bay are the Orcombe rocks, well known for its fossils. To the east is Straight Point
, this headland is used by the marines as a firing range. Further to the east is Otter Cove
, Littleton Cove and the village of Budleigh Salterton
.
stretches over a distance of 153 kilometres (95 mi),
from Orcombe Point
near Exmouth
, in the west, to Old Harry Rocks
on the Isle of Purbeck
in the east . 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 rocks dip gently to the east. Due to this tilting and erosion the oldest exposed rocks are found in the west, between Exmouth and Sidmouth, with progressively younger rocks forming the cliffs further east. The red sandstone cliffs at Sandy Bay are from the Triassic period and are important because they represent the earliest geology along the entire coast. They are predominantly composed of layers of "Aylesbeare Mudstone", but additionally with layers of sandstone, and date from 250 million years ago. Both sediments are markedly red, which indicates that they were formed in a desert. The sea water turns a murky red in stormy seas.
The localities along the Jurassic Coast includes a large range of important fossil
zones.
Exmouth, Devon
Exmouth is a port town, civil parish and seaside resort in East Devon, England, sited on the east bank of the mouth of the River Exe. In 2001, it had a population of 32,972.-History:...
, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is a sandy beach with rock pools at one end, it is backed by high cliffs, it is part of a long strip of sand which is connected to the beach at Exmouth at low tide. Nearby are the Orcombe rocks, which is a famous spot for fossils.
Sandy Bay is about sixteen kilometres south of the city of Exeter, four kilometres southeast of Exmouth and about eleven kilometres southwest of Sidmouth.
The seaside resort Bay is well known because of its Devon Cliffs. West of Sandy Bay are the Orcombe rocks, well known for its fossils. To the east is Straight Point
Straight Point
Straight Point is a coastal region, forming a headland, between Exmouth and Budleigh Salterton in Devon on the south coast of England.- Location :...
, this headland is used by the marines as a firing range. Further to the east is Otter Cove
Otter Cove
Otter Cove is a small secluded cove on the eastern side of Straight Point between the coastal towns of Exmouth and Budleigh Salterton, in Devon, on the south coast of England.- Location :...
, Littleton Cove and the village of Budleigh Salterton
Budleigh Salterton
Budleigh Salterton is a small town on the south coast of Devon, England 15 miles south of Exeter. It is situated within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty designated East Devon AONB.- Features :...
.
Jurassic Coast
The Jurassic CoastJurassic Coast
The Jurassic Coast is a World Heritage Site on the English Channel coast of southern England. The site stretches from Orcombe Point near Exmouth in East Devon to Old Harry Rocks near Swanage in East Dorset, a distance of ....
stretches over a distance of 153 kilometres (95 mi),
from Orcombe Point
Orcombe Point
Orcombe Point is a coastal feature near Exmouth, Devon, on the south coast of England. It lies about south of the city of Exeter, southeast of Exmouth town centre and about southwest of Sidmouth....
near Exmouth
Exmouth, Devon
Exmouth is a port town, civil parish and seaside resort in East Devon, England, sited on the east bank of the mouth of the River Exe. In 2001, it had a population of 32,972.-History:...
, in the west, to Old Harry Rocks
Old Harry Rocks
The Old Harry Rocks are two chalk sea stacks located at Handfast Point, on the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset, southern England.- Location :Old Harry Rocks lie directly east of Studland, about 4 kilometres northeast of Swanage, and about 10 kilometres south of the large towns of Poole and...
on the Isle of Purbeck
Isle of Purbeck
The Isle of Purbeck, not a true island but a peninsula, is in the county of Dorset, England. It is bordered by the English Channel to the south and east, where steep cliffs fall to the sea; and by the marshy lands of the River Frome and Poole Harbour to the north. Its western boundary is less well...
in the east . The coastal exposures along the coastline provide a continuous sequence of Triassic
Triassic
The Triassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about 250 to 200 Mya . As the first period of the Mesozoic Era, the Triassic follows the Permian and is followed by the Jurassic. Both the start and end of the Triassic are marked by major extinction events...
, Jurassic
Jurassic
The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Mya to Mya, that is, from the end of the Triassic to the beginning of the Cretaceous. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic era, also known as the age of reptiles. The start of the period is marked by...
and Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
rock formations spanning approximately 185 million years of the Earths history.
The rocks dip gently to the east. Due to this tilting and erosion the oldest exposed rocks are found in the west, between Exmouth and Sidmouth, with progressively younger rocks forming the cliffs further east. The red sandstone cliffs at Sandy Bay are from the Triassic period and are important because they represent the earliest geology along the entire coast. They are predominantly composed of layers of "Aylesbeare Mudstone", but additionally with layers of sandstone, and date from 250 million years ago. Both sediments are markedly red, which indicates that they were formed in a desert. The sea water turns a murky red in stormy seas.
The localities along the Jurassic Coast includes a large range of important fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
zones.
- see also List of places on the Jurassic Coast