The evolution of the south coast of Dungeness
This project was initiated by Dr Roger Maddrell of Sir William Halcrow and Partners Ltd (Consulting Engineers). Our thanks are also due to National Rivers Authority (Southern Region), Nuclear Electric, and Folkestone and Dover Water Services Ltd, who provided the funds for this project. On site, we were very grateful to the Ministry of Defence for their hospitality and help.
During the summer of 1993 a project was undertaken to examine the depositional history of the south coast of Dungeness. This research built upon previous investigations completed in Denge Marsh by Dr Plater, and on Denge Beach by myself and Steven Fox in 1988. The sediments between Jury's Gut and Galloway's Lookout consist of alternating areas of beach gravel and marsh sediments. These areas of marsh sediments, known as the Midrips, the Wicks and South Brooks, were surveyed using coring techniques with the assistance of Paul Hughes (a PhD student at Southampton University). Peat recorded in the base of Wickmaryholm Pit has been radiocarbon dated, and reveals that the gravel in this area was deposited approximately 2000 years ago. The end of peat accumulation in this Pit has been dated to 700 - 800 years ago, and the pollen recorded within the peat record an abrupt return of marine conditions to the site at this time. This change coincides with the well-documented period of storms which affected Dungeness in the thirteenth century, and which caused large scale erosion of the south coast of the Dungeness foreland.
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The abrupt changes between gravel and marsh sediments recorded in the study area indicate sudden changes in sediment supply to the Dungeness foreland. The change from high to low sediment supply may reflect abrupt changes in the magnitude of storms during the period under which these sediments accumulated (c. 4000-2000 years ago). Thus, under periods of increased storminess, a higher supply of gravel (from sources further to the west of Dungeness as well as from the reworking of older parts of the Dungeness foreland), caused the barrier to extend. Conversely, under periods of calm conditions the sediment supply fell, and limited barrier extension occurred. This record is a unique and highly important history of storms in the Eastern English Channel.
Antony Long