Black Ven facts for kids
Black Ven is a tall cliff in Dorset, England. It sits between the towns of Charmouth and Lyme Regis. The cliffs are about 130 meters (426 feet) high. Black Ven is part of the famous Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. This area is very popular with visitors because many amazing fossils have been found here. There's also a special area nearby called an undercliff with a "pavement" made of ammonite fossils.
Discovering Ancient Life
Black Ven has always been a famous place for finding fossils. This is called paleontology. A very famous fossil hunter named Mary Anning found an ichthyosaurus (a giant sea reptile) in an area called The Spittles.
Later, in 1858, a man named James Harrison was working at Black Ven. He found the very first fossil bones of a dinosaur called a Scelidosaurus. These important discoveries show how special Black Ven is. In 2001, Black Ven and the whole Lyme Bay area became part of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. This means it's a globally important place for its geology and fossils.
How the Cliffs Change and Reveal Fossils
Black Ven is known for having some of the biggest mudslides in Europe. These mudslides are actually helpful for fossil hunters! They constantly bring new rocks and fossils down to the beach.
But why do these mudslides happen? The cliffs are made of different types of rock. There's a top layer of porous limestone, which means water can easily soak through it. Below that is a layer of clay. Clay lets water in, but it doesn't let it drain out easily. When the clay gets completely soaked with water, it becomes very slippery. Then, the heavy limestone above can slide off in big chunks.
While these mudslides bring new fossils, they can also damage them. Soft parts of fossils, like scales, can be easily broken. A special rock layer at Black Ven is called Blue Lias. Many famous fossilized fish have been found in this layer.
All the rocks in the Lyme Bay area, including Black Ven, are from the Jurassic period. This was a time when dinosaurs roamed the Earth! The rocks at Black Ven and The Spittles are from the early part of the Jurassic period. Common fossils you might find here include ammonites (ancient shelled creatures), belemnites (like ancient squid), and sometimes even a Devil's toenail (a type of fossil oyster).
Images for kids
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Black Ven in 2021
