Hey everyone I'm Joel on the Road, and today my UNESCO World Heritage Journey is at the
Jurassic Coast of Dorset and Devon, in southern England.
So we're here today at the Jurassic Coast of southern England, and it's called that
because the rock formations and cliffs and all that sort of stuff is just ancient - they're
from the Triassic, the Jurassic, and the Cretaceous period, it's just spectacular to see. And
apparently this whole area is one of the best in the world for finding fossils, so we might
see what we can dig up.
One of the coolest things about the Jurassic Coast here
is that it's really renowned for discoveries of fossils and dinosaur footprints and of
course dinosaur bones, like this gigantic Pleisiosaur that's just behind me.
This is Lulworth Cove and it's one of the most beautiful and spectacular parts of the
entire Jurassic Coast.
As you look at the rocks behind me, from right to left, you travel through time: 150 million
years ago, to 65 million years ago. Right over here, at the right-hand edge at the mouth
of the cove, 150 million year old stone, and next to it you can see the angled rocks where
continental drift buckled them and pushed them under the sea. That's 100 million years old.
Next to that again you can see red sandstone, 80 million years old, and finally on the far
left, you can see chalk: fossilised sea creatures, 65 million years old. Isn't it incredible?
And you thought they were just rocks!
All along the coastline here you can see great examples of the power of the sea. Small cracks
widen after getting pounded by waves, and become large caves. Eventually they get worn
through, and become archways which collapse into stone stacks.
Behind me is the beautiful Durdle Door and it's such a great reminder of, how in the
terms of millions of years, even the rocks that we think of as completely unchanging
come and go, they rise, and they fall.
This is Monmouth Beach near Lyme Regis, and we're getting closer to the western end of
the Jurassic Coast. As we move further westward the rocks get older; these rocks up here are
from the early Jurassic and you can really see the strata - the layers in the rock, and
it's here that so many fossils and dinosaur bones have been found,
so let's see what we can find.
These are ammonites, fossilised shellfish from around 150 million years ago.
This is Orcombe Point, and the red cliffs that you can see behind me mark the end of the
Jurassic Coast. They're the oldest part here: 300 million years old. But that's the end
of our journey, thank you very much for coming with us. Don't forget to Like and Subscribe,
I'm Joel on the Road and I'll see you at the next World Heritage Site.