The Jurassic Coast

The Jurassic Coast is a 95 mile (153 kilometer) stretch of the South (English Channel) coast of England. It stretches from Old Harry Rocks (which is near Swanage in East Dorset) to Orcombe Point (which is near Exmouth in East Devon), and can walked along entirely on foot by using the "South West Coast Path". Apart from their natural beauty, the area is also of great scientific interest - it contains cliffs made from rocks laid during the entire Mesozoic Era, including the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.

Wave-Cut Arch in Limestone Headland, Durdle Door, Jurassic Heritage Coast, Isle of Purbeck Photographic Print
Waltham, Tony
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Because the rocks in the Jurassic Coast cliffs are sedimentary, they contain many fossils. The most famous of these fossils, are probably those that were found by Mary Anning, the famous Lyme Regis fossil hunter, in the early 19th century. The fossils that Mary Anning found include a complete Ichthyosaur skeleton that she found in 1811, a Plesiosaur that she found in 1821, and a Pterosaur that she found in 1828 (which incidentally was the first complete specimen of a Pterosaur, and the first specimen found outside Germany).

Sedimentary Rocks, Blue Lias, Shale-Limestone Sequences, Jurassic Coast Photographic Print
Waltham, Tony
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The "Jurassic Coast" has not however always known by this name. It only gained this title after a 1994 competition that was jointly held by Devon and Dorset councils. The name "Jurassic Coast" was the winner of that competition, presumably inspired by the recent (1993) success of the Steven Speilberg movie, Jurassic Park. Additionally, since 2001, The Jurassic Coast has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was in fact only the second entirely natural World Heritage Site to be designated in the United Kingdom.

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Fossil Bearing Lias Beds, Seven Rock Point, Jurassic Coast, Lyme Regis Photographic Print
Black, Cyndy
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