FANTASTIC COLOURS @ STUDLAND BAY (ENGLAND) EarthCache
Hidden : 8/2/2014
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
4 out of 5

Size: Size: other (other)

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Geocache Description:

This Earthcache guides you to the fantastic coloured rocks of Redend Point at Studland Bay, just below the LP Fort Henry from WW II right at the pillbox at passage from South to Middle Beach.
This EC is granted by the National Trust.

Do not forget your bathing suit. Your kids will have fun!

Warning:
1.) Be aware that the coast is underlying constant erosion. This could cause cliff falls.

2.) Check the tide. At low tide you can easily walk from the southern to the middle beach without getting wet feet. But at a normal high tide the part of the beach next to the pillbox (where the listing co-ordinates are) that means the passage from South to Middle beach is lying knee-deep or even deeper under water. That's why, this EC is a T4 (but even kids-friendly). I do not know anythink about dangerous currents but please be careful at high tide. For this EC you have to approach Redend Point from both sides. Accessing the cave (task 2) is at high tide easier from South beach. For task 4 you will have to be at southern Middle beach.
Check the tide table for the nearby Knoll Beach here.



There are two big parking areas (see waypoints):
1.) N50°38.550 W001°58.890 (South beach):
From there you have two options:
a) Turn right and walk down Manor Road until a small path (starting at the public toilets) leads to the beach.
b) Turn left and walk down Manor Road and than turn right into Beach Road which leads to the Midlle beach.
2.) N50°38.750 W001°57.016 (Middle beach)
Both areas belong to the National Trust. You have to pay and display a parking ticket (it's free for National Trust members). Both parking areas are also suitable for bigger cars such as motorhomes.



Note for fotographers:
As the Redend point is looking east, the best light will be in the early morning.

Note for fossil hunters:
Look here.



Geology:
Like everywhere at the Jurassic coast here in Studland Bay are different layers of rocks from different periods which were raised or shifted and now lying open.
The southern edge of Studland Bay (called The old Harry Rocks) consists of cretaceous white chalk cliffs clearly visible from this earthcache.
The northern edge (South Haven Peninsula) consists of quaternary beaches and blown sand.
Coming from the North the Redend Point (place of this earthcache) is the first rocky headland south of the South Haven Peninsula of sand.
In the middle of Studland bay there are different kind of eocenic rocks known as the Poole Formation (in old terms: Bagshot Beds) and London clay .

To the rocks of the Poole Formation belong
Parkstone Clay,
Parkstone Sand (sandstone, sometimes brown, ferroginous, f.e. Agglestone),
Broadstone Clay (clay, grey carbonaceous with plant beds),
Broadstone Sand & Oakdale sand and
Creekmore Clay (grey clay, kaolinitic).
Due to their development in a changing Poole Delta some of these layers are very thin (only a few meters) and mostly arranged with a very slop dip towards the north.

The London Clay Formation is greyish-brown clay of marine origin and mostly covered by landslips and slumps at South Beach.

This earthcache shows you the coloured stones at the Redend Point.
At this point the Redend Sandstone of the Poole Formation of the middle Eocene is well exposed. It consists of brown, reddish and yellow sandstones which are part of the Broadstone Sand and is of fluvidal origin. It is a beautiful place due to the presence of the coloured sand. The colour is caused by different iron oxides. The pattern is sometimes striped and does not correspond to the bedding which dips gently towards the right. These stripes (liesiegang banding) probably originated when pyrite was oxidised and iron-bearing solutions moved out from the pyrite source. Yellow or brown colour is typical for limonite or goethite. Red colour typical for hematite in the patches.
This colourful sandstone underlies a bed of lignite which is part of the Broadstone Clay.
At Redend Point there are numerous limonitic pipes of about 10 or 15 cm diameter mostly extending down from the top of the Redend Sandstone, beneath the lignite bed, to the beach level. They are best developed north of Redend Point, the place where the lignite bed also is best-developed. The coloured sand occurs in the same area as the pipes.
On the beach, which consists of light-coloured sand from these beds and of subangular flint pebbles from the Chalk, are blocks of harder iron-cemented sandstone. Small caves are being eroded by the sea into the small sandstone headland.
Erosion and coastal recession are working on Redend Point. Thirty years ago there had been a little stack near Redend Point which is now fallen and the pillbox from WW II was originally built up on the small cliff in 1940s but got undercut.



To log this cache as a found you have to descend to the beach at Redend Point and e-Mail me the answers to the following questions:
1.) Name of this EC
2.) Look into the biggest cave at the listing co-cordinates (Its entrance is about 10m north of the pillbox, 1,2m high and 1,5m wide). Tell me how deep it goes into the cliff and if the ceiling at the end is still Redend sandstone or allready the lignite bed. If this cave is under water or you do not dare to access it for some reasons please fulfil task 5.) instead.
3.) The sandstone are red, yellow, orange, purple... Look around and tell me, if you can find some turquoise in the redend sandstone.
4.) Measure the extension of the redend sandstone at Studland Bay starting at the southern point at N50°38.686 W1°56.791 (Reference point 1) to its northern extend by air line.

If task 2.) is for any reason not possible to do for you, you can fulfil 5.) instead.
5.) Choose your favourite section of the cliff and draw it with coloured crayons. Please upload it (with a photo of the original section) with your log. Scetches caused by image processing on the computer, do not fufil the task.
6.) Edit 2.8.21: Foto-upload of you, part of you, your GPSr... in your online-log is required (re-allowed by GC since June 2019)

You can log online directly after sending the required e-mail. Do not wait for a log permission, I will contact you if somethink goes sincerly wrong.
Please one mail for each account even if you are there in a group.

And of course we would like to see a lot of fantastic photos of this colourful area. Enjoy your visit.

Source and for further information see
the article of Dr. Ian West.

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