PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS CACHE IS NOT ACCESSIBLE FOR 2 HOURS EITHER SIDE OF HIGH TIDE.
https://www.thebeachguide.co.uk/north-east-england/northumberland/alnmouth-weather.htm
This is a tide table for Alnmouth which is 5miles to the north.
The beach you are standing on was once a low lying land mass between Britain and Denmark which we now call Doggerland.
Current maps show this area as Dogger Bank and it is a treacherous shifting sand bank that can still catch shipping out.
Doggerland now is an area beneath the southern North Sea that once connected GB to Europe during and after the ice last age. It was flooded by rising sea levels around 6,500–6,200 BC. Geological surveys have suggested that it stretched from Britain's east coast to Holland and the western coasts of Germany It was probably a rich habitat with human habitation in the Mesolithic period, although rising sea levels gradually reduced it to low-lying islands before its final submergence.
Rather than a continuous solid landmass, archaeologists believe Doggerland was a region of low-lying bogs and marshes connecting the British Isles to Europe and stretching all the way to the Norwegian trench. The area, which would have been home to a range of animals, as well as the hunter gatherers which stalked them, became flooded due to glacial melt, with some high-lying regions such as 'Dogger Island' serving as clues to the regions ancient past
The area is now called Dogger Bank and is one of the regions featured in the regular weather forecasts issued to shipping.
Today the ebb and flow of the current North Sea has revealed a waterlogged archaeological secret of Britain's past - traces of hunter gatherers stalking animals through a long-lost woodland.
The main focus of this EarchCache however is an ancient forest, which dates back more than 7,000 years and has has been buried beneath the sand all that time. It is slowly being uncovered by the ocean due to the action of the waves and slowly rising seal levels. Tree stumps and felled logs, which have been preserved by peat and sand, are now clearly visible along a 650 feet (200 metres) stretch of coastline at Low Hauxley near Amble, Northumberland.
Studies of the ancient forest, which existed at a time when the sea level was much lower and Britain had only recently separated from what is now mainland Denmark, have revealed it would have consisted of oak, hazel and alder trees.
The forest first began to form around 5,300 BC on this low lying land, but by 5,000 BC the encroaching ocean had covered it up and buried it under sand. Now the sea levels are rising again, the remnants of the forest are becoming visible and being studied by archaeologists.
Peat is able to preserve trees and even the bodies of animals so well because it is so low in oxygen, effectively choking the microbes which break down organic matter, so preserving their organic contents for thousands of years.
Please be aware of the fragile nature of the trees and the peat layer and despite the actions of the sea washing both away it is not appropriate that humans accelerate this process.
Questions
- Describe what you can see at the GZ, concentrating on the layers of sand and peat and the preserved trees.
- Why do you think it is possible to see these trees today given that they have been hidden for thousands of years?
- Do you think the trees and peat are being damaged? Explain your conclusion.
- What is the approximate depth of the peat?
If you feel willing and able add a photo to your log and don’t worry about giving answers away.
I look forward to reading your logs.