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Bran Point is a small headland on the
Bran Point is a small headland on the Dorset
Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...
coast in southern England, about halfway between the small villages of Ringstead to the east and Osmington Mills
Osmington Mills is a coastal hamlet in the English county of Dorset. It lies within the civil parish of Osmington northeast of Weymouth.
Geology
The coastline around Osmington Mills is part of Dorset's ''Jurassic Coast'', and fossils can be ...
to the west. There is a picturesque cliff-top path between the two villages via Bran Point.
The name derives from the brown colouring of the rock forming the cliffs of the headland, caused in part by residual oil deposits.Watson, D. F.; Hindle, A. D. and Farrimond P. (2000) "Organic geochemistry of petroleum seepages within the Jurassic Bencliff Grit, Osmington Mills, Dorset, UK" ''Petroleum Geoscience'' 6(4): pp. 289-297 The geology
Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ear ...
of the area is particularly interesting. The coastline in the area is formed from rocks and shingle with exposed cliffs behind. The Middle White Oolite
Oolite or oölite (''egg stone'') is a sedimentary rock formed from ooids, spherical grains composed of concentric layers. The name derives from the Ancient Greek word for egg (ᾠόν). Strictly, oolites consist of ooids of diameter 0.25–2 ...
of the Osmington Oolite more visible to the west has descended to beach level here. At the middle of the cliff, there is nodular rubble consisting of calcitized sponge spicule
Spicules are any of various small needle-like anatomical structures occurring in organisms
Spicule may also refer to:
*Spicule (sponge), small skeletal elements of sea sponges
*Spicule (nematode), reproductive structures found in male nematodes ( ...
s. Higher in the cliff are reddish brown beds containing ''Trigonia clavellata'' fossil
A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...
s.
See also
*Geology of Dorset
Dorset (or archaically, Dorsetshire) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. Covering an area of ; it borders Devon to the west, Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north-east, and Hampshire to the east. The grea ...
* Black Head
* Redcliff Point
Redcliff Point is on the south coast of England, to the east of Weymouth in Dorset. It lies just past the eastern end of the sweeping Weymouth Bay on the Jurassic Coast, a UNESCO World Heritage landscape known for its geology. Fossils can be ...
* White Nothe
White Nothe (meaning "White Nose") is a chalk headland on the English Channel coast at the eastern end of Ringstead Bay, east of Weymouth in Dorset, England. The area is well known for its geology and fossils. Its flanks are the result of preh ...
References
Headlands of Dorset Jurassic Coast {{Dorset-geo-stub