Aim 1;

Why is there a headland at hengistbury head?

The rocks in the costal area we are visiting are all sedimentary rock and are some of the youngest rocks in Britain. Together they form the Hampshire basin. At Hengistbury head the rocks at the base of the cliff are slightly older than those at Milford. The bands of ironstone make the cliffs more resistant.

Hengistbury head is made from sandstone, which is fairly easy to erode. However, the ironstone doggers that are found in the cliff reinforce it and generally stop erosion from taking place. Nonetheless Erosion is evident as slumping and gulleys can be seen.

In 1838 the iron was commercially extracted and sent to south wales. This led to serious erosion and was stopped by 1856. The coast was relatively stable and the headland with minimal erosion as the ironstone in the cliff reinforced it and the iron that had fallen from it acted as a defence, which broke the waves and stopped them from hitting the cliff.

Slumping can be seen here

Ironstone doggers help to stop erosion to the cliff.

In 1938 Bournemouth county council built a large groyne to protect the cliff by trapping beach material. We know this was successful as the headland still exists today.