DUNGENESS NATIONAL NATURE RESERVE
Dungeness is one of the largest expanses of shingle in the world. It is of international conservation importance for its geomorphology, plant and invertebrate communities and birdlife. This is recognised and protected mostly through its conservation designations as a National Nature Reserve (NNR), a Special Protection Area (SPA), a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and part of the Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) known as Dungeness, Romney Marsh and Rye Bay.
There is a remarkable and unique variety of wildlife living at Dungeness, with over 600 different types of plant (a third of all those found in Britain). It is one of the best places in Britain to find insects such as moths, bees and beetles, and spiders; many of these are very rare, some found nowhere else in Britain.
Shingle & Shingle Ridges
Gravel (shingle) beaches found around the coastline of Romney Marsh and forming the Dungeness foreland consists almost entirely (more than 95%) of pebbles composed of flint (rarer pebbles made of other rock types from SE England can also be found). Weathering and erosion during the last million years has released huge volumes of flint from the Seven Sisters in East Sussex. Large rivers have transported the resistant flint and other sediments offshore to the present coastline at Dungeness. During the Pleistocene, the large magnitude sea level changes eroded the chalk further releasing more flint and re-worked offshore shingle. During the Holocene the sea level has risen and pushed this shingle towards the coastline, along with sea level rise, shingle has been moved by wave and tidal action, from west to east from the Eastbourne area to Dungeness.
The pattern of shingle ridges have built up at Dungeness over 5,000 years. The height of a shingle ridge can be used to determine the sea level at the time it was formed. Across Dungeness the ridges have been used to produce a series of records showing how sea level has changed naturally over the past 5,000 years.
Shingle structures of such complexity are unusual globally. Dungeness is a cuspate foreland of intermediate size in global terms, but features the size of Dungeness are rare on the coasts of Britain. Although none of the individual geomorphological features of Dungeness is unique, their association together gives the site its special interest. The considerable damage to much of the original feature has not obliterated the most important features and every part of the sequence of ridges is still preserved at some point. The as yet little-analysed archival and archaeological evidence provides a potentially rich field for further interpretation of the development of this large and complex feature
Wildlife
Dungeness is a hostile landscape but it has many distinctive plants which favour the pebble habitat close to the sea. Blackthorn grow in a prostrate form as do the yellow flowered broom bushes which hug the shingle landscape. The blackthorns in particular can be smothered in lichens due to the clean air.
Dungeness is rich in an array of insects, notably its moth species. One speciality is the Sussex emerald moth, which is a night flying green moth which appears in July. The caterpillar feeds on wild carrot which is a relatively common plant in Britain. However, Dungeness is the only place in Britain where this moth is found. Another rarity is the pygmy footman moth which is supported by the lichen community at Dungeness. To find out more about the moth population you can look at The Moths of Dungeness website.
Lighthouses
There have been five lighthouses built at Dungeness over the centuries. Today, the Old Lighthouse which was built in 1904 still stands adjacent to the Round House, which once had a lighthouse on the top of it, the round house was built in 1792. One of the benefits of the new lighthouse which was built in 1961 was to aid shipping further out to the Point, however there was a more fundamental reason as to why the new one was built. (This reason is requested in one of the questions). The New Lighthouse remains operational, while the Old Lighthouse is a tourist attraction. More information can be found on all five of the lighthouses here and Dungeness Lighthouse here .
Concrete Mirrors
At the back of two gravel pits at Lade on an island are the three concrete listening mirrors, built in the 1920’s and 1930’s to detect enemy aircraft as they approached Britain. This is the only site in Britain where all three designs are situated in one place. This early warning system with a range of 20 miles became obsolete by the outbreak of the Second World War, but they have survived and are popular with visitors on pre-arranged guided walks in the summer.
Dungeness Bird Observatory
The Dungeness Bird Observatory aims to share information about the natural history of Dungeness and has be running for over 50 years. The observatory run a website for people to access information on flora and fauna which is updated daily.
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To claim this earthcache you need to e-mail me through my profile the answers to the following questions.
Please DO NOT post your answers here.
1. What was constructed in 2005 to improve access to the beach and why?
2. What was the MAIN reason that the new lighthouse was built?
3. Give a rough estimate how long and high (in meters) the shingle ridge is beginning at the telephone pole at N50 54.891, E000 58.172?
4. How far in meters is it to the sea from the two information boards at the Railway Station?
Finally get a photo taken of yourself holding your GPS in front of the Old Lighthouse. (Optional)
You can NOT claim your find, until the cache owner has confirmed your answers.
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NOTE
There is parking at all the areas required to complete this Earthcache.
Please stick to the roads and paths where possible as the whole of this area is on SSSI (Sites of Special Scientific Interest).
Dungeness holds a special place in the hearts of local people - please respect their privacy.
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Many thanks to the Romney Marsh Countryside Project for allowing an Earthcache at Dungeness National Nature Reserve.