Old Harry Rocks
The Old Harry Rocks are two chalk formations on the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset, including a sea stack and a stump, located at Handfast Point.
Old Harry Rocks lie directly east of Studland, about 2½ miles northeast of Swanage, and about 6 miles south of the large town of Poole. They mark the end of the Jurassic Coast.
The chalk headlands of the Ballard Downs are owned by the National Trust. The rocks can be viewed from the Dorset section of the South West Coast Path.
Geography
The Jurassic Coast stretches over a distance of 96 miles from Orcombe Point near Exmouth, in the west, to just beyond the great chalk headland of Ballard Down and to the Old Harry Rocks here in the east. The coastal exposures along the coastline comprise a continuous sequence of Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous rock formations spanning approximately 185 million years of the Earth's history. The rock layers along the Jurassic Coast are tilted towards the east. The oldest part of the coast is found at its west end, while progressively younger rocks form the cliffs here to the east. Old Harry Rocks mark the most easterly point of the Jurassic Coast, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The downlands of Ballard Down are formed of chalk with some bands of flint, and were formed approximately 65 million years ago. The bands of stone have been gradually eroded over the centuries, some of the earlier stacks having fallen (Old Harry's original wife fell in 1896), while new ones have been formed by the breaching of narrow isthmuses.[1] Across the water to the east The Needles on the Isle of Wight are usually visible. These are also part of the same chalk band and only a few thousand years ago were connected to Ballard Down.
To form the stacks, the sea gradually eroded along the joints and bedding planes where the softer chalk meets harder bedrock of the rock formations to create a cave. This eventually eroded right through to create an arch. The arch subsequently collapsed to leave the stacks of Old Harry and his wife, No Man's Land and the gap of St Lucas' Leap. The large outcrop of rock at the end of the cliffs is often referred to as "No Man's Land".
Old Harry itself is now also threatened by erosion, particularly at the foot of the rock. There is a desire to preserve the rocks and protect them from erosion and many teams have been working on saving the formations.
Old Harry started as a part of the rock then became an arch then a stack there were two stacks Old Harry and Old Harry's Wife.
Legend
There are two stories about the naming of the rocks. One legend says that the Devil (traditionally known euphemistically as "Old Harry") had a sleep on the rocks.
Another local legend says that the rocks were named after Harry Paye, the infamous Poole pirate, who stored his contraband nearby.
Outside links
- Old Harry Rocks - The end of the story Jurassic Coast homepage. Retrieved 2010-11-16
- Location map: 50°38’32"N, 1°55’25"W
References
- ↑ "Geology of Harry Rock sand Ballard Point". Geology of the Wessex Coast of Southern England. http://www.soton.ac.uk/~imw/Harry-Rocks.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-21.
Book
- The Jurassic Coast Trust (2003). A Walk Through Time, the Official Guide to the Jurassic Coast. Coastal Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9544845-0-7.