I was intrigued by these boulders of a very distinct rock type found on the shore between Chapmans Pool and Egmont Bight in Dorset, England. The rocks have many inclusions – either continuous rows or bands, or a series of nodules, of a harder substance than the surrounding limestone matrix. It seems that these boulders are derived from the Portland Cherty Series which is part of the Portland Limestone Formation belonging to the Upper Jurassic Period. The inclusions or nodules are chert (like flint, made mostly of silica). This rock type is visible in various place along the Dorset coast but particularly on the Isle of Portland and between Durlston Head and Chapmans Pool. These beach boulders have fallen from near the top of the adjacent cliff (was at one time a hill) known as Houns-tout. The way in which the silica bands and nodules were formed is quite complex. There is a detailed account of the process in the paper by Gorman et al (1993) who summarise their investigation by saying:
Chert bands are the product of chemical segregation of silica which was originally dissolved in the pore waters of the sediment and derived from the dissolution of the siliceous sponge spicules, the original carbonate having been dissolved from the chert areas concurrent with the precipitation of silica.
REFERENCE
Gorman, I., Hart, M. B., Williams, C. L. (1993) Chert formation in the Portland Limestone Formation (Upper Jurassic) of the Dorset Coast: a preliminary investigation, Proceedings of the Ussher Society 8, pp181 – 185.
COPYRIGHT JESSICA WINDER 2014
All Rights Reserved
Jessica's Nature Blog 
Your posts on geology are fascinating. I must learn a bit about the subject. It would definitely enrich the exprerience of hill walking.
LikeLike
Thank you. I only started to think about geology seriously because I was curious to know what exactly it was that I was looking at. I love the textures, shapes and patterns in rocks but wanted to give things a name so that I could describe my pictures on the Blog. It definitely gives a whole new meaning to going for walks along seashores, in the countryside, and even in towns (building materials).
LikeLike
I’ve found the same with learning a bit more about native plants and trees – suddenly you start to see and understand more when out and about. The plants themselves give clues to the soil, uses etc of a place. I’ve never known anything about geography/geology – must be fascinating to be able to read the landscape in this way…
LikeLike
Thank you, Lucy – you are so right. We never stop learning and growing. The more we know and understand, the greater the pleasure and connection with our natural world.
LikeLike