The shoreline at Charmouth looked particularly dramatic on this April visit as storm clouds periodically burst and blue skies were only intermittent. Charmouth Beach lies on the World Heritage Jurassic Coast in Dorset, England. The rocks are mainly Jurassic Period Charmouth Mudstone Formation. The character of the cliffs changes as you walk from west to east because the sedimentary rock layers gently slope and disappear beneath the beach surface level while new rock strata are freshly revealed at eye level. The predominance of softer rocks has led to a great deal of cliff slippage, and this means that the chronological sequence of the layers is frequently obscured by fallen debris; it makes it difficult to distinguish which rocks are which. The numerous rockfalls regularly contribute to the boulders on the beach and in this post I feature some boulders that exhibit some interesting fracture patterns. Of course these are not the only rock type on the beach, and I will post some more photographs of other patterns and textures in boulders and in the cliff face on the eastern half of Charmouth Beach in due course.
Jessica's Nature Blog 
These boulders are very weird. I must go and look at them. Went there once many years ago and don’t remember them.
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Fascinating. They look chiselled. Don’t remember seeing them, but they are beautifu and I love the way that they are melting into the sand
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Beautiful!
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They are strange, aren’t they? It is possible to see them at the foot of the cliff, too. They may not have been on the beach the last time you visited if they are from a relatively recent rock fall. They may also disappear fairly quickly as the fracturing means that they crumble away.
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Thank you, pkphotooftheday.
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These boulders certainly have a sculptural quality. The great amount of fracturing probably makes them a short-lived phenomenon. They must easily disintegrate in the waves. I think they may have been the inspiration for an artwork in the sculpture park in Tout Quarry on the Isle of Portland.
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What an interesting structure!
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Thank you, Stu artphoto.
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Amazing! You find some extraordinary rocks, Jessica. Britain has such a fantastic and diverse geology.
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Thank you, Jo. The natural world around us in Britain is truly amazing. We are privileged.
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