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At Fairlight, East Sussex. British Geological Survey Commercial Report, CR/05/040N Geological Investigation of the Ashdown Beds at Fairlight, East Sussex Integrated Geoscience Surveys (Southern)/English Nature Commercial Report CR/05/040N 1 BRITISH GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Integrated Geoscience Surveys (Southern)/English Nature Commercial Report CR/05/040N The National Grid and other Ordnance Survey data are used with the permission of the Geological Investigation of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. Ordnance Survey licence number Ashdown Beds at Fairlight, East Licence No:100017897/5. Keywords Report; keywords. Sussex Fairlight, Ashdown Beds, Wealden. K A Booth Front cover View of the cliffs at Goldbury Editor P M Hopson Point, Fairlight, Sussex. Bibliographical reference K A BOOTH. 2005. Geological Investigation of the Ashdown Beds at Fairlight, East Sussex. British Geological Survey Commercial Report, CR/05/040N. 32pp. Copyright in materials derived from the British Geological Survey’s work is owned by the Nt lE i tR h 2 © NERC 2005. All rights reserved Keyworth, Nottingham British Geological Survey 2005 3 BRITISH GEOLOGICAL SURVEY The full range of Survey publications is available from the BGS British Geological Survey offices Sales Desks at Nottingham, Edinburgh and London; see contact details below or shop online at www.geologyshop.com The London Information Office also maintains a reference Keyworth, Nottingham NG12 5GG collection of BGS publications including maps for consultation. 0115-936 3241 Fax 0115-936 3488 The Survey publishes an annual catalogue of its maps and other e-mail: [email protected] publications; this catalogue is available from any of the BGS Sales www.bgs.ac.uk Desks. Shop online at: www.geologyshop.com The British Geological Survey carries out the geological survey of Murchison House, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3LA Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the latter as an agency service for the government of Northern Ireland), and of the 0131-667 1000 Fax 0131-668 2683 surrounding continental shelf, as well as its basic research e-mail: [email protected] projects. It also undertakes programmes of British technical aid in geology in developing countries as arranged by the Department London Information Office at the Natural History Museum for International Development and other agencies. (Earth Galleries), Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London The British Geological Survey is a component body of the Natural SW7 2DE Environment Research Council. 020-7589 4090 Fax 020-7584 8270 020-7942 5344/45 email: [email protected] Forde House, Park Five Business Centre, Harrier Way, Sowton, Exeter, Devon EX2 7HU 01392-445271 Fax 01392-445371 Geological Survey of Northern Ireland, Colby House, Stranmillis Court, Belfast, BT9 5BF 028-9038 8462 Fax 028-9038 8461 Maclean Building, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford, Oxfordshire OX10 8BB 01491-838800 Fax 01491-692345 Sophia House, 28 Cathedral Road, Cardiff, CF11 9LJ 029–2066 0147 Fax 029–2066 0159 Parent Body Natural Environment Research Council, Polaris House, North Star Avenue, Swindon, Wiltshire SN2 1EU 01793-411500 Fax 01793-411501 www.nerc.ac.uk CONTENTS 1 Introduction............................................................................................................1 1.1 Project Scoping ..............................................................................................1 1.2 Terms of Reference..............................................................................................1 2 History of Research................................................................................................2 3 Data Sources ..........................................................................................................3 4 Geological Succession ...........................................................................................3 4.1 Solid Geology ......................................................................................................3 4.1.1 Lower Cretaceous: General overview of the Wealden ................................3 4.1.2 Ashdown Formation......................................................................................5 4.1.2.1 Overview................................................................................................5 4.1.2.2 Sedimentary facies.................................................................................6 4.1.2.3 Correlation of the upper Ashdown Formation.......................................7 4.2 Structure...............................................................................................................7 4.3 Geohazards: Landslides .......................................................................................8 5 The coastal sections ...............................................................................................9 5.1 Introduction..........................................................................................................9 5.1.1 Hastings to Ecclesbourne..............................................................................9 5.1.2 Ecclesbourne to Lee Ness ...........................................................................12 5.1.3 Lee Ness to Fairlight Cove .........................................................................16 5.1.4 Fairlight Cove to Haddock’s Reversed Fault..............................................19 5.1.5 Haddock’s Reversed Fault to Cliff End and Toot Rock .............................21 5.1.7 Ashdown Formation in the Fairlight Borehole ...........................................22 6 Fauna....................................................................................................................23 6.1 Ostracod zones...................................................................................................23 6.2 Molluscan faunas ...............................................................................................24 6.3 Wealden vertebrates...........................................................................................24 6.4 Saurian footprints...............................................................................................25 7 Data Recording/Methodology..............................................................................26 8 Key observations and conclusions.......................................................................26 1 Introduction 1.1 PROJECT SCOPING The coastline from Hastings eastward to Cliff End in Sussex is dominated by cliffs that expose a significant proportion of the Ashdown Formation, the lowest part of the Wealden succession described from the Weald of Sussex and Kent. The cliffs from East Hill in Hastings to Pett Beach, some 7.5 km distant to the east-northeast, are designated as a Site of Special Scientific Importance (SSSI) for its geological interest. These cliffs expose the most complete succession of terrestrial Lower Cretaceous rocks in Europe and are the principal exposure of the Ashdown Formation in the Weald. Within this SSSI the Ashdown Formation is preserved in a low amplitude north- northwest to south-southeast trending anticline (the Fairlight Anticline) that cuts the coast between Lee Ness Ledge and Fairlight Cove. At the eastern end of this anticline adjacent to a bounding reverse fault (the Fairlight Cove Reverse Fault) the cliffs have suffered a catastrophic landslide. The British Geological Survey was commissioned by English Nature to report upon the accessible principal elements of the succession adjacent to the western limit of this landslide and to compare the beds identified with those exposed over the crest of the anticline to its opposite limb at Lee Ness Ledge (about 1.5 km to the west). This report gives a historical appraisal of the data held at BGS for this SSSI, provides outline stratigraphical logs for the accessible portion of the cliffs between the landslide and Lee Ness Ledge and discusses the significance of the exposures presently visible. 1.2 TERMS OF REFERENCE To provide a scientific basis on which to assess the likely impact of any proposed coastal defence structures on the scientific interest of the SSSI through: - - Identifying and determining the scientific importance of the geological exposures affected by the landslip - Comparing in terms of stratigraphy, palaeogeography and scientific importance the succession affected by the landslip with the equivalent succession exposed in the western limb of the Fairlight Anticline. - Reporting, both in terms of reduction of strata exposed and on the ability to scientifically interpret the stratigraphical succession of the Ashdown Beds, should a stretch of the eastern limb be lost due to coastal protection work. - Desk study to identify the geological successions likely to be present and interpretations of the geology. - Confirm whether the succession found at Fairlight is repeated at Lee Ness and other possible locations. - Log the successions at Fairlight Cove and elsewhere within the SSSI. 2 History of Research The Hastings area was first surveyed on the one-inch scale and published as part of the ‘Old Series’ Sheets 4 and 5 in 1863 and 1864 respectively. The notes of the surveyors were incorporated in Topley’s regional memoir on the Weald (1875). The original one-inch mapping was recast in the ‘New Series’ format as sheets 320 and 321, published with minor amendments in 1928, accompanied by a descriptive memoir (White, 1928). The most recent geological survey was carried out by R.A.B. Bazley, E.A. Edmonds, R.D. Lake, E.R. Shephard-Thorn and J.G.O. Smart between 1956 and 1970. The new
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