Studland’s South Beach and Redend Point bring together Upper Cretaceous Chalk and Eocene sands and clays. Marine shells occur in the Chalk, while plant debris and occasional leaves characterise part of the younger succession; tidal headlands and fragile exposures require careful observation and respect for conservation rules.
FIND FREQUENCY: ♦♦♦ – Mostly plant debris in the Eocene beds, with local Chalk shells; fine identifiable material is not routine.
CHILDREN: ♦♦♦ – The main sandy beach is easier than rocky headlands and steep geological margins.
ACCESS: ♦♦♦♦ – South Beach parking and public path are established; tide can prevent passage around Redend Point.
TYPE: – Observation of Chalk and younger sand-and-clay exposures.
DIRECTIONS
♦ Approach Studland via the B3351 from Corfe Castle or the signed roads from Swanage. For this section use South Beach National Trust car park near the Bankes Arms, BH19 3AU, then the public path to South Beach.
♦ Middle Beach is a separate access option. Use inland paths between beaches when the tide prevents passage around Redend Point; never wade round the headland.
FOSSIL HUNTING
Plant debris and occasional better-preserved leaves are the main Eocene fossil interest near Redend Point. They occur in the sandy-clay succession above the sandstone rather than in every sand bed. Keep the local plants separate from the named Bournemouth, Arne and Brownsea floras; similar formation names do not prove the same assemblage.
The Chalk south of South Beach has historical records of belemnites, bivalves and small brachiopods. The difficult-access type-section fauna and the older Chalk succession around Ballard are separate contexts, not a promise of what can be seen from the ordinary beach approach.
Claims of fossil insects require exact museum specimens or primary publications before being used as a sampling target. Photograph naturally exposed material and do not dig plant-bearing cliffs, hammer the Chalk or remove in-situ iron-rich pipe structures. Such tubes are not automatically fossils.
If material from an older lawful collection is examined, retain labels and matching split faces. Thin plant-bearing laminations are easily lost through washing or rough handling; precise provenance is more useful than a large unlabelled bag of sediment.
A chronological record of geological research and discoveries associated with Studland Bay.
1947 – A local sand-and-clay section recorded
Arkell described the succession around South Beach and Redend Point, including the plant-bearing beds above the sandstone. Later observations show that the local contacts are more complicated than the older section alone suggests.
1987–1988 – Studland Chalk terminology introduced
Gale and colleagues used Studland Chalk for the upper marl-poor chalk at its type coast. Subsequent BGS assessment retained the name in the Lexicon but cautioned against assuming its lower marker correlates precisely between Dorset and the Isle of Wight.
1990 – Chalk fractures investigated
Ameen and Cosgrove studied the detailed fracture pattern at Studland Bay to investigate later stresses affecting the Chalk. This is a local structural study, distinct from simply importing the whole Ballard Fault story.
2000 – Mapping changed the Palaeogene names
The revised Swanage geological map no longer showed the old Reading Formation outcrop at Studland and used the newer formation and member framework. This explains why older field guides and modern labels differ.
GEOLOGY
Upper Cretaceous Chalk at the southern end is separated by a large time gap from the Eocene sands and clays. BGS mapping retains the Portsdown Chalk Formation; “Studland Chalk Member” is a useful nomenclatural note, not a separate formation or a precisely traceable boundary everywhere on South Beach.
The lower Palaeogene beds formerly described as Reading Beds are assigned to London Clay in modern local map discussion. The Poole Formation above belongs to the Bracklesham Group and records river and floodplain sedimentation with coastal or lagoonal influence. Local faulting and patchy exposure complicate the contacts.
Redend Sandstone is correlated with the Broadstone Sand Member. Iron cement gives the point its resistant brown and red rock. Overlying sandy clay and sand belong to the Broadstone Clay interval, with plant remains especially in darker organic-rich material. The historical approximately 6 m exposure is not a single pure clay bed or the complete member thickness.
The detailed geological succession and important exposure limits at Studland Bay.
A large gap separates Upper Cretaceous Chalk from the Eocene sand-and-clay succession. The best local plant-bearing interval is above Redend sandstone, not a generic “Bournemouth plant bed”.
CHALK GROUP
The southern end of South Beach includes Upper Cretaceous Chalk. This is not a complete Chalk succession from the Cenomanian upwards; those older exposures lie around the separate Ballard coast.
WHITE CHALK SUBGROUP
The local upper Chalk belongs to the White Chalk Subgroup.
Portsdown Chalk Formation
Campanian soft white chalk with large flints forms the youngest Cretaceous part of the local coast. The BGS uses Portsdown Chalk up to the erosional contact below the Palaeogene.
Age: Campanian
Studland Chalk Member: terminology note
The BGS Lexicon retains this member name beneath Portsdown Chalk, but explains that uncertain correlation of its lower marker led BGS mapping to retain the broader Portsdown unit. Studland Chalk is not a separate formation, and a precise boundary is not established at South Beach. The stated 23 m thickness belongs to Alum Bay, not this locality.
Upper Chalk fossil and marker interval
The regional GCR records the small brachiopod Magas chitoniformis toward Old Harry and Studland Bay, around the yellow-stained marker interval associated with the historical member base. Much of that reference section is difficult to access; the fossil record is not a recommended beach traverse.
Erosional contact and dissolution pipes
A substantial gap separates the Chalk from younger sediment. Weathering and solution produced irregular surfaces and sediment-filled pipes. The end-Cretaceous impact boundary is not preserved here, so no iridium-layer claim should be made.
THAMES GROUP
The lower Palaeogene succession is treated in modern local mapping within the Thames Group rather than reproducing every old Reading Beds label.
London Clay Formation
Sands and pale clays formerly mapped as Reading Beds are assigned to London Clay in the modern map discussion. Exposure and local faulting complicate the contact. The old estimated combined 44 m Reading/London Clay section is not a measured modern London Clay thickness.
Age: Eocene
BRACKLESHAM GROUP
The Poole Formation records mainly river and floodplain sedimentation interrupted by coastal or lagoonal incursions. This regional depositional interpretation does not establish a local species list.
Poole Formation
The formation-wide BGS age is Ypresian–Lutetian, early to middle Eocene. The relevant South Beach–Redend section contains sand with overlying sandy clay and plant material. It is not equivalent to every classic Bournemouth plant bed.
Age: Ypresian–Lutetian formation range
Broadstone Sand Member
The traditional Redend Sandstone is correlated with this sand member. Iron cement produces the more resistant brown and reddish sandstone of Redend Point. Local sand bodies and their contacts vary; regional quarry thicknesses do not establish the thickness at the headland.
Ferruginous pipes at Redend Point
Iron-rich tubular structures are interpreted in relation to roots, pyrite and later oxidation. They should not automatically be sold or identified as petrified tree trunks. This is a diagenetic feature within the sand, not a separate formal member.
Broadstone Clay Member
Sandy clay and sand overlie the Redend sandstone. Arkell reported approximately 6 m exposed locally; this is not the thickness of a single pure clay bed or the entire member. Plant remains occur especially in the darker organic-rich part.
Lower pale mud-clast-bearing interval
The lower part of the exposed succession above the sandstone is pale and includes apparent mud clasts. The field guide cautions that the visible contact was not fully represented in the older section. No separate thickness is established.
Upper dark plant-bearing interval
Lignitic material darkens the upper sandy clay. Leaves and plant fragments can be preserved, but the bed is often high in the small cliff and partly obscured by iron-rich seepage. Do not dig or collect bulk samples; insect records from this bed remain unverified.
References
Bgs Dorset Memoir
Bgs Poole Lexicon
Bgs Studland Lexicon
Gcr Studland Chalk
Nt Studland
Nt Studland Route
West Studland
SAFETY
Tide can reach cliff bases and isolate the small headlands. Keep away from unstable sand faces, cliff edges and fresh falls. The main sandy beach is easier than the geological margins; do not extend its accessibility rating to the rocky shore or steep paths.
EQUIPMENT
Take a camera, hand lens and tide information. Wear suitable footwear if leaving the sandy beach for an open public path. Do not bring a chisel pick for digging or splitting protected exposures.
CLEANING AND TREATING
For an already lawful plant-bearing specimen, keep matching split faces together and support fragile laminations. Record the exact exposure. Avoid water, acid or consolidant until the preservation is understood; an iron-rich pipe should not be prepared as a fossil without identification.
IDENTIFY YOUR FINDS
Need help identifying a fossil? Share clear photos, where you found it and its size with the community.
FURTHER READING
Studland Palaeogene field guide
BGS south Dorset memoir
BGS Studland Chalk Member and correlation warning
BGS Poole Formation
GCR Handfast–Ballard, Studland passages only
National Trust Studland visitor information
National Trust South Beach approach
ACCESS RIGHTS
Follow National Trust and posted conservation rules. Do not hammer the Chalk, dig plant-bearing cliffs, remove in-situ pipe structures or take bulk sediment samples without explicit permission. Public beach access does not itself establish a right to remove geological material.
Protected-site information: SSSI Information – Studland Cliffs.
It is important to follow our ‘Code of Conduct’ when collecting fossils or visiting any site. Please also read our ‘Terms and Conditions’.
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