How a unique corner of England was formed

Posted by admin on December 1, 2011

 The Romney Marshes in Kent, England were formed by the silting up of rivers and lagoons and inning by man over the centuries. The Dungeness promontory by contrast was caused by single shifting from offshore deposits further along the channel (notably at Pett Level).

Over the last 3000 years, the Ness (from nes in Icelandic, meaning headland) has slowly grown in size and gradually worked its way up the channel, with the sea moving single from one side to the other. The extent of this expansion can be seen in the light-houses of the headland. Since 1615, five light houses have had to be built each new generation closer to the water edge as the shingle banks grew and the sea continued to retreat.

Shingle Composition

The shingle that makes up much of Dungeness is compromised of a small quantity of pebbles made up cherty sandstone, red and grey quartzites, liver-coloured quartz and dark quartz-tourmaline grit with the majority being flint.

The Future

The future of Dungeness is uncertain. The Marsh was originally under sea and storms – notably the great storm of 1287AD but also more recently in 1987 – have resulted in much of the Marshes, notably Walland Marsh, being flooded again and cutting off Dungeness. At the worst points, Dungeness point itself has also been flooded.

With rising sea-levels and increasingly frequent storms predicted, the stability of the Ness is uncertain. The presence of two nuclear power stations on the point means that for the indefinite future the shingle lost as part of the natural travel of the point up the channel (6metres a year) must be continually replaced, with a reported 90,000 cubic metres of shingle are moved by a fleet of lorries each year.

Read more about the geology and geography of Romney Marsh.

References:

> Wikipedia – Dungeness Power Stations
> Dungeness National Nature Reserve
> Wikipedia – cuspate foreland
> The Old Light House
> English Nature – Guidance for the Management of Coastal Vegetated Shingle