Black Ven
Encyclopedia
Black Ven is a cliff in Dorset
, England
. It is part of the Jurassic Coast
World Heritage site
. The cliff is famous for its mudslides, in fact, it has the largest mudslides in Europe
. The area is popular with tourists because a number of fossils are found in the area.
The Black Ven has been historically renowned for paleontology
. Mary Anning
found an ichthyosaurus
in The Spittles
, and James Harrison found the first fossil remains of a Scelidosaurus
while quarrying Black Ven in 1858. In 2001, the Black Ven and the whole of Lyme Bay
became part of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site.
and Lyme Regis
. The cliffs reach a height of 130m. Golden Cap
, a few miles East, is the highest point on the South coast of England at roughly 191m above sea level. Also nearby is an undercliff where the famous Ammonite
pavement is. Slightly east is the town of Charmouth, where the heritage centre lies.
where famous fish are known to be found. The geological dating of the rocks of the whole of the area (Lyme Bay) is Jurassic
. The Black Ven and the Spittles contain rocks from the lower (early) Jurassic. Ammonites, Belemnites, and the occasional Devil's toenail are common finds in this area.
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is part of the Jurassic Coast
Jurassic Coast
The Jurassic Coast is a World Heritage Site on the English Channel coast of southern England. The site stretches from Orcombe Point near Exmouth in East Devon to Old Harry Rocks near Swanage in East Dorset, a distance of ....
World Heritage site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
. The cliff is famous for its mudslides, in fact, it has the largest mudslides in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. The area is popular with tourists because a number of fossils are found in the area.
History
Paleontology
Paleontology "old, ancient", ὄν, ὀντ- "being, creature", and λόγος "speech, thought") is the study of prehistoric life. It includes the study of fossils to determine organisms' evolution and interactions with each other and their environments...
. Mary Anning
Mary Anning
Mary Anning was a British fossil collector, dealer and palaeontologist who became known around the world for a number of important finds she made in the Jurassic age marine fossil beds at Lyme Regis where she lived...
found an ichthyosaurus
Ichthyosaurus
Ichthyosaurus is an extinct genus of ichthyosaur from the Early Jurassic of Europe . It is among the best known ichthyosaur genera, with the Order Ichthyosauria being named after it...
in The Spittles
The Spittles
The Spittles are a type of cliff on the Jurassic coast world heritage site in Dorset, a southern county in England. They contain Blue Lias rocks where a number of fossils have been found, including fossilised fish that the whole of lyme Bay is famous for....
, and James Harrison found the first fossil remains of a Scelidosaurus
Scelidosaurus
Scelidosaurus is a genus of quadrupedal, lightly plated, herbivorous dinosaur about long. It lived during the Early Jurassic Period, during the Hettangian to Sinemurian stages around 199.6 to 194 million years ago. Its fossils have been found in both England and in Arizona, in the United...
while quarrying Black Ven in 1858. In 2001, the Black Ven and the whole of Lyme Bay
Lyme Bay
Lyme Bay is an area of the English Channel situated in the southwest of England between Torbay in the west and Portland in the east. The counties of Devon and Dorset front onto the bay,-Geology:...
became part of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site.
Geography
Black Ven is situated between the Dorset towns of CharmouthCharmouth
Charmouth is a village at the mouth of the River Char in West Dorset, England, with a population of 1,687 according to the 2001 census.-The village:...
and Lyme Regis
Lyme Regis
Lyme Regis is a coastal town in West Dorset, England, situated 25 miles west of Dorchester and east of Exeter. The town lies in Lyme Bay, on the English Channel coast at the Dorset-Devon border...
. The cliffs reach a height of 130m. Golden Cap
Golden Cap
Golden Cap is a hill and cliff situated between Bridport and Charmouth in Dorset, England. The cliffs are the highest point on the south coast of Great Britain. The name derives from the distinctive outcropping of golden Greensand rock present at the very top of the cliff.The hill is owned by the...
, a few miles East, is the highest point on the South coast of England at roughly 191m above sea level. Also nearby is an undercliff where the famous Ammonite
Ammonite
Ammonite, as a zoological or paleontological term, refers to any member of the Ammonoidea an extinct subclass within the Molluscan class Cephalopoda which are more closely related to living coleoids Ammonite, as a zoological or paleontological term, refers to any member of the Ammonoidea an extinct...
pavement is. Slightly east is the town of Charmouth, where the heritage centre lies.
Geology
Black Ven has the largest mudslides in Europe, this constantly brings new material (such as fossils) to the base of the cliff and beach. The reason for this is the types of stone found through the cliff. There is porous limestone, which lets the water on rough days flow through it, below which you will find clay, which lets water in, but not out. So, when the clay becomes saturated, it becomes very slippery, and the limestone above can just slide off in large chunks. Black Ven for this reason is a famous fossil hunting location, although the mudslides can be surprisingly damaging to the fossils, especially to soft parts such as scales. The Black Ven has a layer called Blue LiasBlue Lias
The Blue Lias is a geologic formation in southern, eastern and western England and parts of South Wales, part of the Lias Group. The Blue Lias consists of a sequence of limestone and shale layers, laid down in latest Triassic and early Jurassic times, between 195 and 200 million years ago...
where famous fish are known to be found. The geological dating of the rocks of the whole of the area (Lyme Bay) is Jurassic
Jurassic
The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Mya to Mya, that is, from the end of the Triassic to the beginning of the Cretaceous. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic era, also known as the age of reptiles. The start of the period is marked by...
. The Black Ven and the Spittles contain rocks from the lower (early) Jurassic. Ammonites, Belemnites, and the occasional Devil's toenail are common finds in this area.
Tourism
Lyme Bay is renowned for its fossil finds. So it is not surprising that there are plenty of tourists trying to discover the next best find. Charmouth has a number of facilities for tourists, including two reasonably large car parks, cafés, shops (including the famous fossil shop) and tours around Lyme Bay for fossils.External links
See also
- Geology of DorsetGeology of DorsetDorset, England, rests on a variety of different rock types which give the county its interesting landscapes and habitats. Dorset is particularly noted for its coastline, the Jurassic Coast, which in 2001 was designated a World Heritage Site because of the variety of landforms and fossils...
- For further Jurassic sites see: List of places on the Jurassic Coast