User:Huligan0/Straight Point

View across Sandy Bay to Straight Point

Straight Point is a coastal region, forming a headland, between Exmouth and Budleigh Salterton in Devon on the south coast of England.

Location

Straight Point is about sixteen kilometres south of the city of Exeter, four kilometres southeast of Exmouth and about eleven kilometres southwest of Sidmouth.

The top of the headland is used by the marines as a firing range. To the west is Sandy Beach, a holiday beach, that can be reached either along the coastal path or through the large caravan park. To the east Otter Cove and Littleton Cove.

Jurassic Coast

The Jurassic Coast stretches over a distance of 153 kilometres (95 mi), from Orcombe Point in the west, to Old Harry Rocks on the Isle of Purbeck in the east.

The coastal exposures along the coastline provide a continuous sequence of Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous rock formations spanning approximately 185 million years of the Earths history. The rocks dip gently to the east. Due to this tilting and erosion the oldest exposed rocks are found here to the west with progressively younger rocks forming the cliffs further east.

• see also List of places on the Jurassic Coast

Geology

The red sandstone cliffs at Straight Point show an interesting sequence of sandstones in the Exmouth Formation. Most of the western section is accessible at low tide from Sandy Bay. Only a small part of the eastern side is accessible at low tide. Predominantly the cliffs are composed of layers of "Aylesbeare Mudstone", but additionally with these sandstone Layers. These rock formations are important because they represent the earliest geology along the entire coast. They are from the Triassic period and date from 250 million years ago. Both sediments are markedly red, which indicates that they were formed in a desert.