Worborrow

Worborrow Tout
Durlston Bay
16th September 2001
Led by Paul Ensom

We had intended to visit Tyneham Village and Worborrow Tout. However these sites lie within the Lulworth Ranges and the security situation understandably resulted in their closure. This meant that that a rapid re-think was in order and Paul offered to take us to Durlston Bay to look at the Purbeck sequence. This resulted in a excellent field trip and a discovery, by OUGS Member Jim Francis-Pester of fossil turtle bone in the cinder beds where it has never been found before. Paul Ensom collected the specimen for the Natural History Museum.

Click on any picture to enlarge the view

Where we should have gone - Tyneham Vale and Worborrow Tout
Paul describes the geology of the area	Looking over the Vale	Looking to the north
A panorama of Swanage
The paddle steamer "Waverley" steams into Swanage	Durlston Bay
Paul points out the crocodile beds	Trying to match the rocks to the published sequence
	Crocodile coprolite - notice the distortion of the beds	Fossil mud cracks
Examining the cinder bed	Turtle bone, 6cm long, in the cinder bed - the first example ever found. Donated by Jim Francis-Pester to the Natural History Museum	Part of the cinder bed
Collecting samples for the Natural History Museum	A cast of an iguanodon footprint	A close-up of the footprint