A UK coastline: Swanage

The coast at Swanage

Swanage is on the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset, on England's south coast. It is near the eastern end of the Jurassic Coast, 95 miles of coast from Exmouth in Devon to Studland in Dorset. Its rocks record 185 million years of the Earth's history, and in 2001 it became a .

A sketch map drawn for this app, not to scale.

Key terms

Why the coast looks like this

Around Swanage, bands of rock run west to east:

In the north, hard chalk forms the ridge of Ballard Down.
In the middle, soft clays and sands.
In the south, hard limestone.

On the east-facing coast, these bands meet the sea end on: a . The sea has worn the soft clays and sands back into , leaving the hard chalk as the headland of Handfast Point, and the limestone as Peveril Point and Durlston Head.

On the south-facing coast, west of Durlston Head, the limestone runs along the coast: a , with straight, steep cliffs.

Key terms

Landforms of erosion

Handfast Point and Durlston Head, with Swanage Bay between them.
Cliffs: tall white chalk cliffs at Handfast Point, and limestone cliffs along the south coast.
the chalk headland of Handfast Point has been eroded into caves and arches. Old Harry Rocks, off its tip, are chalk stacks. Another stack, Old Harry's Wife, collapsed in 1896, leaving a .
rocky ledges at the foot of the limestone cliffs, visible at low tide.

One day, Old Harry himself will collapse, and the sea will cut new stacks from the headland.

Key terms

Landforms of deposition

sandy beaches have formed in the shelter of the bays, in and Studland Bay.
north of Studland, the South Haven Peninsula stretches across the mouth of Poole Harbour. It is often used as an example of a spit. It has grown out over the last 400 years or so, as waves built up ridges of sand.
the wind has blown sand from the beach into dunes on the peninsula, among the largest in Dorset. Behind them, there are heathland and a freshwater lake.

Exam tip

For each landform, name the place and the rock: "Old Harry Rocks, chalk stacks off Handfast Point."

Exam practice

Plan your own answer first, then open the model answers to see what each level looks like.

6 marks · about 6 minutes

Using an example, explain how geology has influenced the landforms of a section of UK coastline.

Explain means: Give the reasons why something happens, developing each point with "because" or "so".

Link it

Use the facts from:

The coast at Swanage (Swanage, Isle of Purbeck, Dorset, Present day)

Level 1 (Basic)· 2/6 marks (band 1–2)

At Swanage there are hard and soft rocks. The soft rocks make bays and the hard rocks make headlands.

Why this level: The key idea is correct, but the rocks and landforms aren't named. To reach Level 2: name the rocks and specific landforms, and explain how erosion of different rocks made them.

Level 2 (Clear)· 4/6 marks (band 3–4)

At Swanage, bands of hard chalk, soft clay and sand, and hard limestone meet the coast end on, making a discordant coast. The soft clay and sand have been eroded into Swanage Bay, while the hard chalk forms the headland of Handfast Point, and limestone forms Durlston Head.

Why this level: Clear explanation of how geology formed the bays and headlands, with named places. To reach Level 3: explain more landforms, such as the stacks at Old Harry Rocks, and contrast with the concordant coast to the west.

Level 3 (Detailed)· 6/6 marks (band 5–6)

At Swanage, in Dorset, bands of hard chalk, soft clays and sands, and hard limestone meet the east-facing coast end on, making a discordant coast. The sea has eroded the soft clays and sands quickly into Swanage Bay, which is sheltered, so sandy beaches have formed there. The hard chalk resists erosion and stands out as the headland of Handfast Point, where waves have eroded cracks into caves, arches and stacks such as Old Harry Rocks; Old Harry's Wife collapsed in 1896, leaving a stump. Limestone forms Peveril Point and Durlston Head. West of Durlston Head, the limestone runs parallel to the coast, a concordant coast, so the cliffs are straight with few bays.

Why this level: Detailed, accurate use of the Swanage example, linking each rock type to the landforms it creates, with both discordant and concordant coasts. This is Level 3.

Take the quiz