Southern England Chalk Formation: Facts, Discussion Forum, and Encyclopedia Article

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Southern England Chalk Formation

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	Southern England Chalk Formation
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	Topics Southern England Chalk Formation Topic Home The Chalk FormationChalk Formation Overview The Chalk Formations of Europe are thick deposits of chalk, a soft porous white limestone, deposited in a marine environment... of Southern EnglandEngland England is the largest and most populous constituent country of the United Kingdom.... is a system of chalkChalk Chalk is a soft, white, porous form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite.... downlandDownland A downland is an area of open chalk hills.... in the south of EnglandEngland England is the largest and most populous constituent country of the United Kingdom.... . The formation is perhaps best known for Salisbury PlainSalisbury Plain Salisbury Plain is a 300 sq mi chalk plateau in central southern England, part of the Southern England Chalk Formation.... , the location of StonehengeStonehenge Stonehenge is a Neolithic and Bronze Age megalithic monument located near Amesbury in the English county of Wiltshire, about... , the Isle of WightIsle of Wight Overview The Isle of Wight is an English island and county, off the southern English coast, to the south of the county of Hampshire.... and the twin ridgeways of the North DownsNorth Downs Overview The North Downs in England is a ridge of chalk hills that stretches about 100 miles from Hampshire through Surrey and Kent.... and South DownsSouth Downs The South Downs is one of the two areas of chalk downland in southern England.... . Geography The North Downs are confined chiefly to the counties of SurreySurrey Surrey is a county in southern England, part of the South East England region and one of the Home Counties.... and KentKent Kent is a county in England, south-east of London.... , and the South to SussexSussex Sussex is a traditional county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex.... . Each forms a well-defined long range springing from the chalk area of DorsetDorset Dorset is a county in the south-west of England, on the English Channel coast.... and HampshireHampshire Hampshire, sometimes historically Southamptonshire, is a county on the south coast of England in the United Kingdom.... , to which, though broken up into a great number of short ranges and groups of hills, the general name of the Western Downs is given. The Downs enclose the rich district of the WealdWeald A weald once meant a dense forest, especially the famous great wood once stretching far beyond the ancient counties of Susse... , where the chalk has eroded to form a much flatter landscape. In WiltshireWiltshire Wiltshire is a large southern English county.... is Salisbury PlainSalisbury Plain Salisbury Plain is a 300 sq mi chalk plateau in central southern England, part of the Southern England Chalk Formation.... , the Wiltshire Downs and Cranborne ChaseCranborne Chase Cranborne Chase is a Chalk plateau in central southern England, straddling the counties Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire.... , all three famous for their archaeologyArchaeology Archaeology, archeology, or archology is the study of human cultures through the recovery, documentation and an... , and it was on these downs that Augustus Pitt Rivers developed the methods of modern archaeological field work in the 19th century. The Berkshire DownsBerkshire Downs The Berkshire Downs are a downland area in England lie north of the River Kennet, south of the River Thames, east of Swindon... and White Horse Hills adjoin the northernmost part of this formation. To the north of these downs, mostly in BuckinghamshireBuckinghamshire Buckinghamshire is a county in South East England.... , are the Chiltern HillsChiltern Hills The Chiltern Hills are a chalk escarpment in England that stretches in a south-west to north-east diagonal from Goring-On-Th... , running north east. At the far south west of the formation are the Dorset DownsDorset Downs The Dorset Downs are an area of Chalk downland in the centre of the county Dorset in south west England.... , notable for their rich RomanAncient Rome Ancient Rome was a civilization that grew out of the city-state of Rome, founded in the Italian Peninsula circa the 9th cent... and pre-Roman archaeology, including a number of Iron AgeIron Age In archaeology, the Iron Age is the stage in the development of any people where the use of iron implements as tools and wea... hill fortHill fort Hill forts in Scotland]]* see ... s. The Purbeck HillsPurbeck Hills The Purbeck Hills and South Dorset Downs are a ridge of chalk downs in Dorset, England.... fork from the Dorset Downs to run on, or near the Jurassic CoastJurassic Coast The Jurassic Coast is a World Heritage Site on the English Channel coast of southern England.... in south east Dorset, where they form part of Lulworth CoveLulworth Cove Lulworth Cove is a cove near the village of West Lulworth, on the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site in Dorset, south Englan... , White NotheWhite Nothe White Nothe is a chalk headland on the English Channel coast at the eastern end of Ringstead Bay, east of Weymouth in Dorset... and Old Harry RocksOld Harry Rocks Old Harry Rocks at Handfast Point are a small but characteristic set of coastal landforms off Ballard Down at the east... , some of the many famous landforms on England's only natural World Heritage SiteWorld Heritage Site A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained ... . Smooth convex curves are characteristic of the Downs; their graceful and striking outline gives them an importance in the landscape in excess of their actual height; their flanks are well wooded, their summits covered with close springy turf. Where the chalk hills meet the sea there are white cliffs such as the White Cliffs of DoverWhite cliffs of Dover The white cliffs of Dover, immortalized in popular song and verse, are cliffs facing the Strait of Dover near the major Engl... , Seven SistersSeven Sisters, Sussex The Seven Sisters are a famous series of chalk cliffs by the English Channel.... and The NeedlesThe Needles The Needles is a row of distinctive stacks of chalk that rise out of the sea off the western extremity of the Isle of Wight,... on the Isle of WightIsle of Wight The Isle of Wight is an English island and county, off the southern English coast, to the south of the county of Hampshire.... The chalk would once have extended across the English ChannelEnglish Channel Overview The English Channel is the part of the Atlantic Ocean that separates the island of Great Britain from northern France and j... and similar cliff features can be found on the French coast. Geology The Chalk FormationChalk Formation The Chalk Formations of Europe are thick deposits of chalk, a soft porous white limestone, deposited in a marine environment... was laid down under the sea during the Upper CretaceousCretaceous The Cretaceous Period is one of the major divisions of the geologic timescale, reaching from the end of the Jurassic Period ... period, and was later uplifted at around the same time as the AlpsAlps The Alps is the name for one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the eas... were formed. In south-east England, the chalk deposits were formed into an elongated domeDome A dome is a common structural element of architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a sphere.... , with the long axis in a roughly east-west direction. Erosion along the line of this axis removed the central part of the chalk and revealed the underlying WealdWeald A weald once meant a dense forest, especially the famous great wood once stretching far beyond the ancient counties of Susse... en deposits. The remaining chalk forms the characteristic escarpmentEscarpment In geology, an escarpment is a transition zone between different physiogeographic provinces that involves an elevation diffe... s of the NorthNorth Downs The North Downs in England is a ridge of chalk hills that stretches about 100 miles from Hampshire through Surrey and Kent.... and South DownsSouth Downs The South Downs is one of the two areas of chalk downland in southern England.... . Stronger uplift and folding occurred in DorsetDorset Dorset is a county in the south-west of England, on the English Channel coast.... and the Isle of WightIsle of Wight The Isle of Wight is an English island and county, off the southern English coast, to the south of the county of Hampshire.... , where the chalk strata are almost vertical in some places, such as The NeedlesThe Needles The Needles is a row of distinctive stacks of chalk that rise out of the sea off the western extremity of the Isle of Wight,... . See also Chalk streamChalk stream Chalk streams have characteristics which set them apart from watercourses associated with other rock types....