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The Jurassic Coast of Dorset and East Devon is a 95 mile stretch of coastline that demonstrates 185 million years of geological history through its unique combination of Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous rocks. In 2001, the Jurassic Coast was awarded World Heritage Site status by UNESCO – the first natural site to be designated in England. This stretch of coastline is one of the most popular locations for geography fieldwork in the country, providing a wide range of opportunities above and beyond just sand dune transects and measuring pebbles.

As they develop, these pages will provide you with a range of ideas and resources for setting up or revamping a fieldwork programme in the area.

Weymouth and Portland Harbour on the Dorset coast will host the sailing and paralympic saliing events during the 2012 Games. In preparation for these events, enhancements to existing facilities and infrastructure to the site will be undertaken in 2008, and a new commercial marina is also planned. Return to these pages soon for fieldwork ideas based on the Weymouth and Portland Olympic sites.

Relevant Links

  • West Dorset District Council - Stategy Plan (further details for recent plans can be found via a Google search)

  • Dr Ian West's website on the geology of the Dorset coast

  • The Jurassic Coast Team at Dorset and Devon County Councils has produced a range of educational resources for Key Stages 1 to 4 for this stretch of coastline 

  • In May 2008 a landslip described by police as 'the worst for 100 years' occurred on the stretch of coastline between Charmouth and Lyme Regis in Dorset. This BBC article includes a video clip showing the aftermath of the landslip and some information about its causes and effects

Jurassic Coast fieldwork resources

In October 2007, a group of 50 secondary geography teachers from schools up and down the country spent a weekend in Swanage on the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, finding out about the opportunities for fieldwork that arise along this stretch of coastline.

Resources to accompany each field visit site are available, as well as short video clips and further information on the sites.

Downloads

File nameFiles

File type

Size

Download

A Jurassic Coast Mystery Bonus Questions

.pdf

881 KB

A Jurassic Coast Mystery Introduction

.pdf

233 KB

A Jurassic Coast Mystery Location Map

.jpg

161 KB

A Jurassic Coast Mystery Photo Resources

.pdf

773 KB

A Jurassic Coast Mystery Work Booklet

.pdf

1 MB

A Jurassic Coast Mystery Bonus Answer Sheet

.pdf

33 KB

A Jurassic Coast Mystery Risk Assessment

.pdf

80 KB

Studland Documents and Worksheets

.pdf

219 KB

Old Harry Rocks Risk Assessment

.doc

51 KB

Old Harry Rocks Risk Assessment (1)

.pdf

63 KB

Lulworth Clove and Durdle Door Worksheet

.doc

398 KB

Lulworth Clove and Durdle Door Risk Assessment

.doc

69 KB

Lulworth Clove and Durdle Door Risk Assessment (1)

.pdf

69 KB

Lulworth Clove and Durdle Door Worksheet (1)

.pdf

85 KB

Chesil Beach Results Sheet

.pdf

63 KB

Chesil Beach 360 View of Chesil Beach

.mpg

5 MB

Chesil Beach Impact Assessment

.pdf

49 KB

Chesil Beach Results Sheet (1)

.doc

63 KB

Chesil Beach Risk Assessment

.pdf

63 KB

Chesil Beach Impact Assessment

.doc

60 KB

Chesil Beach Longshore Drift

.mpeg

5 MB

Chesil Beach Risk Assessment (1)

.doc

103 KB

River Wey Risk Assessment

.pdf

70 KB

River Wey Results Sheet

.pdf

56 KB

River Wey Results Sheet (1)

.doc

51 KB

River Wey Risk Assessment (1)

.doc

69 KB

Swanage Coastal Management Swanage Sea Defence 2005-2007

.ppt

7 MB

Swanage Coastal Management Bi-polar Survey

.doc

49 KB

Swanage Coastal Management Locals Survey

.pdf

56 KB

Swanage Coastal Management Risk Assessment

.pdf

69 KB

Swanage Coastal Management Role Play

.pdf

968 KB

Swanage Coastal Management Role Play (1)

.doc

484 KB

Swanage Coastal Management Bi-polar Survey (1)

.pdf

73 KB

Swanage Coastal Management Newspaper Extracts

.pdf

79 KB

Swanage Coastal Management Newspaper Extracts (1)

.doc

32 KB

Swanage Coastal Management Risk Assessment (1)

.doc

67 KB

Swanage Community Action Plan Locals Questionnaire

.pdf

46 KB

Swanage Community Action Plan Purbeck Community Plan 2832

.pdf

327 KB

Swanage Community Action Plan Visitor Questionnaire

.doc

24 KB

Swanage Community Action Plan Visitor Questionnaire (1)

.pdf

47 KB

Swanage Community Action Plan Purbeck Community Plan 1727

.pdf

363 KB

Swanage Community Action Plan Locals Questionnaire (1)

.doc

25 KB

Swanage Community Action Plan Purbeck Community Plan 916

.pdf

418 KB

Swanage Community Action Plan Tourism Presentation

.ppt

726 KB

Swanage Community Action Plan Purbeck Community Plan 18

.pdf

1003 KB

Swanage Community Action Plan Risk Assessment

.doc

63 KB

Swanage Community Action Plan Risk Assessment (1)

.pdf

59 KB

Swanage Community Action Plan Environmental Quality Index

.pdf

53 KB

Swanage Community Action Plan Environmental Quality Index (1)

.doc

37 KB

Swanage Community Action Plan Community Strategic Plan

.pdf

636 KB

Swanage Flood Alleviation Risk Assessment

.doc

49 KB

Swanage Flood Alleviation Scheme Map

.pdf

297 KB

Swanage Flood Alleviation Worksheets

.doc

46 KB

Swanage Flood Alleviation Worksheets (1)

.pdf

65 KB

Swanage Flood Alleviation Risk Assessment (1)

.pdf

63 KB

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