Whitecliff Bay and Bembridge Ledges facts for kids
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
| Area of Search | Isle of Wight |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 50°40′26″N 1°06′18″W / 50.674°N 1.105°W |
| Interest | Biological and Geological |
| Area | 131.6 hectares |
| Notification | 1955 |
| Location map | Natural England |
Whitecliff Bay and Bembridge Ledges is a special coastal area on the eastern side of the Isle of Wight. It covers about 131.6 hectares, which is like 325 football fields! This area is super important for both its amazing plants and animals, and its ancient rocks and fossils. It was first recognized as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in 1955. This means it's a protected place because of its unique natural features. You can find it stretching from the Bembridge harbour entrance down to Whitecliff Bay.
Contents
What the Rocks Tell Us
Whitecliff Bay and Bembridge Ledges is a Site of Special Scientific Interest because of its geology. It has a large area of rock, shingle, and sand beach. Behind the beach are sandy cliffs that are slowly crumbling.
Layers of Time in the Cliffs
These crumbling cliffs show us many layers of rock. They range from chalk layers to older ones called the Bembridge Marls. These rock layers were formed a very long time ago. They were laid down from the Upper Paleocene to the Lower Oligocene periods. This is roughly 66 to 23 million years ago!
The cliffs here show a nearly complete set of rock layers from this time. They help scientists understand how sediments were deposited in this part of the Hampshire Basin. The Wittering Formation and other layers of the Bracklesham Group are clearly visible. These cliffs are so important that they are the main example for studying the Bracklesham Group.
Amazing Ancient Fossils
The rocks at Whitecliff Bay are full of incredible fossils. Scientists have found fossils from twenty-one different types of mammals here. This is a huge number! In fact, it's one of the best places in Europe to find mammal fossils from this ancient time.
You can also find plant fossils, including a special type of freshwater green algae called charophyte. These plant fossils help scientists compare the rocks here with other fossil sites around the world.
Life in the Bay: Ecology
This special site is also very interesting for its plants and animals. It has many different types of habitats and a rich variety of seaweeds.
Plants on the Cliffs
The cliffs are always changing as they slowly erode. On the fresh, newly exposed areas, you can find "pioneer species." These are the first plants to grow in new soil. They include plants like creeping bent, coltsfoot, and bristly oxtongue.
On parts of the cliffs that are more stable, you'll find a rich group of plants that like chalky soil. These include pretty flowers like yellow-wort, restharrow, bird’s-foot trefoil, and wild carrot. Higher up on the cliffs, there are bushes like blackthorn, hawthorn, gorse, and bramble.
Sea Life in the Water
The area between the tides and in the shallow water is home to many different kinds of seaweeds. You can also find ten different species of lobsters and crabs living here.
Some sea creatures here are at the edge of where they normally live. For example, the limpet Patella aspera and the snake-locks anemone Anemonia sulcata are found at their easternmost limit in this area. The lagoons in the bay have beds of seagrasses like Zostera marina and Zostera angustifolia. However, a Japanese seaweed called Sargassum muticum has also moved into these waters.
