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heaving broke up the sub-surface sedimentary layers of chalk turning small slabs into a more and more upright orientation towards the surface, to be covered by present day soil. The centre of the 'U' structure is a fill of finer chalk and sands giving a more orange / yellow appearance. These structures have a polygonal surface manifestation which can be revealed by stripping away turf and soil. Slope angle appears to have had an effect on their formation. Where the gradient exceeds 20 degrees solifluction appears to have been a more dominant process preventing their formation. This may link to the patterned ground features of stone nets becoming elongated by gradient resulting in stone stripes as seen in modern periglacial environment and in relic locations such as
Dartmoor.
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245:, an upward flexure of the crust and the major geological structure of south-eastern England. The faults run in a north-northeasterly direction, at right angles to the trend of the anticline. These structures were probably formed by stretching of the crust parallel to the axis of the anticline during an episode of crustal compression in the mid
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Along much of the cliffed coast between
Brighton and Newhaven (and beyond to Eastbourne), frost involution structures can be seen in the upper meter of the chalk cliff. These involutions appear as repeated 'U' (festoon) shaped structures and date from the Devensisn (last glacial period). Frost
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Brighton to
Newhaven Cliffs provides the best and most extensive exposure of an important chronological fossil site in England. The gentle folding and the ease of access to the cliff exposures make this an important collecting site for faunas of the upper
273:
has often had to close it after rockfalls such as during the winters of 2000/01, 2012/13, 2020/21 and 2022/23. Netting and other devices have been placed on parts of the cliffs known to be unstable to prevent rocks from falling on to the path.
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The platform is overlain by raised beach deposits of sand and shingle which contain shell fragments which amongst other methods have given the beach and cliff a general date from the second half of the last
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and has attracted scientific interest for over 150 years. The modern sea cliff at Black Rock obliquely intersects a fossil cliff and abrasion platform cut in the Upper Chalk.
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times. Chalk muds and fine chalk gravel and grit, are banked against the rubble on the west and may represent fan deposits. The muds contain appreciable quantities of
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deposits. The chalk rubble and solifluction deposits are particularly notable for their fossil remains of many
Devensian mammals, including
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The
Undercliff Walk is a 4.5 km (2.8 mi) path at the foot of the cliffs from Black Rock, Brighton to
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in the Chalk of southern
England. This exposure of Upper Chalk lies on the southern flank of the
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178:. The angle between the beach and the old cliff is filled by great quantities of coarse
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269:. Opened in 1933, this seafront route is popular with walkers and cyclists. However,
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which have affected this area, Southern
England, unlike much of the rest of the
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and mammal remains at Black Rock provide an extremely valuable record of former
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463:"Saltdean Undercliff Walk closed after 'constant and significant' chalk fall"
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249:. The formation of the Wealden Anticline is related to the formation of the
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has not been affected by full scale glaciation. An area of the cliff at
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435:"Undercliff walk closed after pedestrians hit by falling cliff debris"
321:"Newhaven to Brighton (Cenomanian, Turonian, Senonian, Maastrichtian)"
323:. Geological Conservation Review. Joint Nature Conservation Committee
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154:. It is an increasingly important reference section for the
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and changing environmental conditions during the last few
555:. Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England.
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is a 165.4-hectare (409-acre) biological and geological
345:. Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England
301:. Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England
299:"Designated Sites View: Brighton to Newhaven Cliffs"
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Sites of
Special Scientific Interest in East Sussex
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Sites of
Special Scientific Interest in East Sussex
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488:"Undercliff Walk behind Brighton Marina to reopen"
237:provides probably the finest example of conjugate
365:"Designated Sites View: Castle Hill, Newhaven"
119:site, which stretches along the coast between
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131:. An area of 16.4 hectares (41 acres) is the
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387:"The Cliffs between Black Rock and Saltdean"
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367:. Local Nature Reserves. Natural England
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550:"Brighton to Newhaven Cliffs citation"
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198:and are overlain by further, coarser
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1029:Geological Conservation Review sites
343:"Map of Brighton to Newhaven Cliffs"
928:Dungeness, Romney Marsh and Rye Bay
720:Dungeness, Romney Marsh and Rye Bay
182:rubble apparently derived from the
113:Site of Special Scientific Interest
28:Site of Special Scientific Interest
775:Kingston Escarpment and Iford Hill
461:Carey, Jasmine (17 January 2023).
389:. Brighton & Hove City Council
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271:Brighton & Hove City Council
433:Lock, Rose (10 February 2021).
117:Geological Conservation Review
16:Part of south coast of England
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988:Southerham Machine Bottom Pit
938:Hastings Cliffs to Pett Beach
750:Hastings Cliffs to Pett Beach
695:Clayton to Offham Escarpment
409:"CoastView - Roedean Cliffs"
923:Brighton to Newhaven Cliffs
670:Brighton to Newhaven Cliffs
562:, walking and cycling guide
510:"Doing the Undercliff Walk"
109:Brighton to Newhaven Cliffs
22:Brighton to Newhaven Cliffs
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162:is a key for the study of
80:165.4 hectares (409 acres)
865:St Dunstan's Farm Meadows
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208:Tichorhinus antiquitatus
490:. BBC News. 9 June 2013
164:Quaternary Stratigraphy
978:Seaford to Beachy Head
870:Stockland Farm Meadows
860:Seaford to Beachy Head
675:Burgh Hill Farm Meadow
512:. thisisbrighton.co.uk
918:Brede Pit and Cutting
133:Castle Hill, Newhaven
993:Southerham Works Pit
948:Houghton Green Cliff
805:Marline Valley Woods
740:Folkington Reservoir
413:University of Sussex
136:Local Nature Reserve
983:Southerham Grey Pit
933:Hastingford Cutting
885:Willingford Meadows
875:Weir Wood Reservoir
820:Paines Cross Meadow
780:Leasam Heronry Wood
645:Arlington Reservoir
580: /
204:Elephas primigenius
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1003:Winchelsea Cutting
840:Plashett Park Wood
1044:Cliffs of England
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913:Blackhorse Quarry
855:Sapperton Meadows
825:Park Corner Heath
810:Milton Gate Marsh
765:Herstmonceux Park
760:Hemingfold Meadow
705:Dallington Forest
560:undercliffwalk.uk
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890:Wilmington Downs
795:Lullington Heath
735:Firle Escarpment
715:Ditchling Common
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584:50.796°N 0.029°W
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156:Upper Cretaceous
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835:Pevensey Levels
800:Maplehurst Wood
755:Heathfield Park
650:Ashburnham Park
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243:Weald anticline
217:The landforms,
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543:External links
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212:Equus caballus
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54:Grid reference
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973:Scaynes Hill
953:Lower Dicker
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908:Asham Quarry
830:Penn's Rocks
785:Lewes Brooks
725:Eridge Green
710:Darwell Wood
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514:. Retrieved
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492:. Retrieved
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470:. Retrieved
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416:. Retrieved
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391:. Retrieved
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369:. Retrieved
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347:. Retrieved
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325:. Retrieved
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303:. Retrieved
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251:Alpine Chain
219:stratigraphy
216:
200:solifluction
176:interglacial
168:
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108:
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99:
95:Location map
86:Notification
18:
968:Rye Harbour
850:Rye Harbour
790:Lewes Downs
730:Eridge Park
700:Combe Haven
685:Castle Hill
680:Buxted Park
587: /
418:21 February
327:26 February
227:glaciations
129:East Sussex
48:East Sussex
1018:Categories
963:River Line
943:High Rocks
900:Geological
770:High Woods
665:Bream Wood
637:Biological
572:50°47′46″N
532:"Newsroom"
472:19 January
467:SussexLive
446:19 January
371:10 January
349:11 January
305:11 January
278:References
223:sea levels
184:weathering
172:Ipswichian
160:Black Rock
150:and lower
72:Geological
70:Biological
60:TQ 390 014
845:Rock Wood
745:Fore Wood
575:0°01′44″W
440:The Argus
192:Devensian
152:Campanian
148:Santonian
100:Magic Map
1039:Brighton
1034:Newhaven
958:Northiam
267:Saltdean
247:Tertiary
235:Saltdean
125:Newhaven
121:Brighton
67:Interest
44:Location
516:13 June
494:13 June
393:13 June
188:erosion
141:Geology
553:(PDF)
196:loess
180:chalk
518:2013
496:2013
474:2023
448:2023
420:2024
395:2013
373:2019
351:2019
329:2019
307:2019
210:and
186:and
123:and
115:and
90:1986
77:Area
127:in
1020::
465:.
437:.
411:.
286:^
231:UK
214:.
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158:.
621:e
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170:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
