Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
FIG
118.
Looking southwestwards across the eastern Isle of Purbeck. Note the embay-
ments and sea stacks cut into the Chalk, including Old Harry and Old Harry's wife (Fig.
116,
a1
). (Copyright reserved Cambridge University Collection of Air Photographs)
FIG
119.
Looking eastwards over Dancing Ledge, South Purbeck. (Copyright Dae Sasit-
orn & Adrian Warren/ www.lastrefuge.co.uk)
Landscape B: The Isle of Wight
The variety of landscapes and relative ease of access have added greatly to the pop-
ularity of the Isle of Wight. The mild climate and long hours of summer sunshine have
brought large numbers of tourists to the island since Victorian times.
The landscapes here range from the lush pastures and creeks of the north, particu-
larly in the area west of Cowes (
b3
), across the windswept downs and cliffs of the cent-
ral belt, to the open fields and wooded 'chines' (narrow, deep ravines) of the south. All
these features have formed during the long history of erosion of the underlying bedrock
geology. The most dramatic geological structure is the spectacular, northward-facing
stepfold in the Chalk known as the Isle of Wight Monocline, running east-west through
the centre of the island (Fig. 117). The steep layers of the Chalk form the Needles (
b1
)
at the western end of the island and extend eastwards across the island as a high ridge,
although the steeply-dipping layers temporarily flatten out near Newport, where anoth-
er fold crosses the stepfold. Culver Cliff (
b4
) marks the eastern end of the Chalk ridge.
