Loc 2: Whitecliff Bay

After our journey from our Suffolk HQ, to Whitecliff Bay on the Isle of Wight, we decided to take a walk down to our local beach to examine the current conditions and to take samples for analysis back at our base camp.

As the main focus this week will be on small remains, we decided to take samples from various beds along this geologically fascinating stretch of coastline. We have already covered the geology of this site in our previous LIVE event (see live on the Isle of Wight 2005).

After Alister and Ian carefully checked the stratigraphy of the site to ensure that our samples were labelled correctly and worked out the best beds to take samples from, Alison took samples of the ‘Reading Beds’, ‘London Clay’ of which we took samples from bed ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’, and ‘D’. Samples from the Bracklesham Beds was also collected. Sadly the Barton Beds was obscured behind the café.

A few shells were collected from the site and we also briefly examined the chalk. Of course this brief trip was limited after the long journey, so the real collecting will start tomorrow.

Right now, Glenda is currently sieving some of the samples and viewing them under our Microscope, any interesting finds will be posted later during the week. So far, some interesting tiny shells have been found, but we are looking for Foraminifera, fish remains and anything else small! The first find has been a lovely foraminifera, this was about 2mm in diameter and was found before soaking the samples, in a lump of clay. This foraminifera is so large that it can be seen without a microscope, but we have used our macro lens to show you this first find.

During the late afternoon, a revisit to Whitecliff Bay , this time to collect samples from the Bembridge Marls. Insects have been found in the limestone but these are very rare.

The marls are full of shells, including freshwater gastropods of Viviparus and water molluscs of Polymesoda can be seen but also layers where shells dominated from more brackish waters suggesting changes in the environment.

Loc 2: Whitecliff Bay

Our base camp, Whitecliff bay was explored, The geology of this site is fascinating and makes excellent educational trips, To the South of the Bay, the Upper Chalk dominates the headland. Here, Echinocorys are common and some of these can be giant. We found many broken, and a nice specimen in flint, Fish fragments including scales and possible jaw was also found together with a lovely sponge. Following on from the Upper Chalk, the strata runs vertical walking Northwards and the whole sequence is exposed from the Reading Formation to the Bembridge Marls. The Reading Formation is badly slipped although is exposed on the foreshore. The sequences from the London Clay to the Bacton Sand are good, clear, clean beds where collecting can be made, the zones within each formation can also clearly be seen. Some superb shells where collected from the Bracklesham Group.

In order, the sequences run as follows;

Upper Chalk
Reading Formation
London Clay Basement Bed
London Clay, Divisions A, B, C then D
Bracklesham Group;
Wittering Formation
Earnley Sand
Marsh Sand Formation
Selsey Sand
Barton Group;
Barton Clay
Chama Sand
Becton Sand
Totland Bay Member
Cotwell Bay Member
Cliff End Member
Laceys Farm Limestone Member
Fishbourne Member
Osbourne Marls Member
Seagrove Bay Member
Bembridge Limestone
Bembridge Marls

This is certainly a very interesting site, you never know what you could find. Sharks teeth are often found on the foreshore from the London Clay, Bracklesham Group and also Barton Clay.