page_title: Geography of Dorset
section_title: Jurassic Coast
hierarchical_section_title: Geography of Dorset / Coastline / Jurassic Coast
caption_attribution_description: The Jurassic Coast at Charmouth, Dorset, England where Mary Anning discovered large reptiles in the shales of Black Ven; Golden Cap in the near distance. &lt;a href="http://www.geobloggers.com"&gt;geotagged&lt;/a&gt; Unesco World Heritage Site: &lt;a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1029"&gt;Devon and Dorset Coast&lt;/a&gt;
context_page_description: Dorset is a county located in the middle of the south coast of England. It lies between the latitudes 50.512°N and 51.081°N and the longitudes 1.682°W and 2.958°W, and occupies an area of 2,653 km². It spans 90 kilometres from east to west and 63 kilometres from north to south.
  The geology of Dorset is varied; most of the different rocks found in the wider south-east of England outcrop within its boundaries. The oldest rocks are found in the west of the county; a general progression eastwards reveals younger strata formed in the Middle and Late Jurassic epochs, and the Cretaceous and Paleogene periods. Many of the sea-cliffs in the county, particularly around the town of Lyme Regis, are very rich in exposed fossils.
  Dorset's terrain is lowland in nature, albeit hilly in many parts. The highest point in the county is Lewesdon Hill, 279m above sea-level. The landscape of much of the county comprises hills formed by strata of the Chalk Group; these hills include the Dorset Downs, parts of the South Dorset Downs, and the Purbeck Hills. To the north of the Dorset Downs is the Blackmore Vale, a relatively low-lying area of clays and limestones of Jurassic age.
context_section_description: Almost the entire length of the Dorset coast forms the major part of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, designated in 2001. This coast is notable for the variety in its geological structure and resultant landforms, and for the abundance of fossils found within its cliffs. The rocks of the Jurassic Coast in Dorset range in age from the Early Jurassic in the west to the Cretaceous in the east. Within the length of Dorset's coast can be found examples of a nearly circular cove (Lulworth Cove), a very clearly exposed and accessible geological fold (Stair Hole), a natural sea arch (Durdle Door), sea stacks (Old Harry Rocks), an active landslip (Black Ven), and numerous and often quite spectacular cliffs, including the highest cliff on England's south coast, Golden Cap.
caption: Golden Cap on Dorset's Jurassic Coast
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