Burning Cliffis a cliff under theWhite Notheheadland at the eastern end ofRingstead Bay,inDorset,England.The area is well known for itsgeologyandfossils.
Burning Cliff | |
|---|---|
 View of the cliff | |
  Location in Dorset | |
| Coordinates:50°38′00″N2°20′28″W/ 50.63320160°N 2.34103861°W | |
| Grid position | SY762815 |
| Location | Dorset,England |
| Highest elevation | 31.1m[1] |
The cliff is to the northwest of White Nothe.[1]From 1826, the cliff smouldered with an underground fire for several years due tobituminous shale,hence the name.[2]
Geologically, Burning Cliff is on aKimmeridge Clayoutcrop.[2]It is immediately west of the fault and Holworth House. The cliff was originally namedHolworth Cliff.[3]Today, the cliff consists of landslide, scrubland plants, with theKimmeridge Claypartially visible. The Kimmeridge Clay above a fault connecting it with thePurbeck Formationto the east under Holworth House. There is a footpath on the cliff.
The 1826 fire in thebituminous shalecontinued for several years.[4]The fire is thought to have been started by heat caused by decomposingpyrite,common in bituminous shale. It emitted sulphurous fumes.
At the top of the cliff is aChurch of Englandchurch,St Catherine-by-the-Sea,Holworth.The cliff lies on theSouth West Coast Path[5]and forms part of theJurassic CoastWorld Heritage Site. The surrounding area is owned by theNational Trust.[5]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ab"Burning Cliff, West Dorset (DT2 8NG)".getoutside.ordnancesurvey.co.uk.UK:Ordnance Survey.Retrieved20 January2022.
- ^abWest, Ian M. (6 June 2014). "Burning Cliff, Holworth, Ringstead Bay, Near Weymouth, 1826".Burning Cliffs of Dorset – Oil-Shale Fires.UK:University of Southampton.Retrieved21 January2022.
{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help) - ^Damon, R.F. (1884).Geology of Weymouth, Portland and the Coast of Dorsetshire from Swanage to Bridport-on-the-Sea: with Natural History and Archaeological Notes(2nd ed.). Weymouth: R.F. Damon.
- ^Arkell, W.J.(1947).The Geology of the Country around Weymouth, Swanage, Corfe and Lulworth.London:H.M.S.O.
- ^ab"Walk – Smugglers Inn – Burning Cliff".UK:South West Coast Path.Retrieved21 January2022.
External links
edit
Media related toBurning Cliffat Wikimedia Commons
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