Isle of Wight: Landscape and Geology

The Isle of Wight is a geological gem with its 110km (68 mile) long coastline displaying a range of rocks dating from Lower Cretaceous to Oligocene age. Many of the sands and clays yield fossil bivalves and gastropods, and its famous dinosaur footprints attract much attention from geologists and tourists alike. Yet the scenic beauty of the island is the product of its differing strata, former earth movements and the erosive power of the sea and the rivers. The monoclinal fold that crosses t...