Hunstanton, on the North Norfolk Coast
is noted for the Cretaceous
chalk cliffs. A brittle white chalk
at the top overlies a narrow bed of red
chalk below which is an iron sandstone
called the Carrstone. The white
and red chalks are fossiliferous, containing
shell fragments, burrow trace
fossils, and bivalves.
The cliffs at Hunstanton should not be
hammered directly since
this is unneccessary and extremely dangerous.
There will be plenty
of fossil-bearing loose fallen blocks
on the beach. Do not work at
the base of the cliffs or below overhangs.
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Red Chalk Carrstone (Iron Sandstone) |
Weathering patterns in the Carrstone.
The different layers show up well in this
photograph.
The cliffs are unstable. Frequent
falls occur, particularly during
winter storms. The green above the
cliffs has become noticably
narrower in the last 15 years.
Above 3 photographs: remains of a wave
cut platform.
Sunset over the Wash