This is a nice secluded beach area with a great example on how water shapes the shoreline. There is a short walk to the earth cache from the designated parking area.
Cliff Erosion:
As waves crash against a cliff, they wear away the rock to form a wave cut notch (an indentation in the rock at water level), by the processes of hydraulic action and corrasion. This is known as undercutting.
As the notch increases in size, the weight of rock above is unsupported and becomes unstable. Eventually the overhanging area of cliff collapses into the water.
In turn, the fragments of rock which fall, break up and are thrown back at the cliff by the force of the waves. They abrade (wear away) the remaining cliff face and the process repeats itself.
The continual action of the waves against a cliff can result in the formation of a wave cut platform. This is a gently sloping area of rock at the base of a cliff, and is the end product of a long, slow process of erosion. The process slows down as the platform widens because the waves break further out to sea and lose energy before reaching the cliff base.
Source: BBC Online
Here you can see Top soil, Sandstone, Dark, Medium & Light clay as well as layers of bed rock.
1. How many distinct layers can you see?
2. What is sticking out of the ground in the upper layers?
3. What is your elevation at the lowest level near the waters edge and the elevation for the highest rock you can easily reach.
* Please, Do Not Climb the Cliff. *
