Climate Change and Global sea level rise - so what's new?

Free, but prior booking essential

Saturday June 12th
Dr Chris Cornford and Dr Ran Kelly, The Hallsannery Centre

Meet at Saunton Sands car park at 10am (SS 447378), finish at
approx 4pm
 

We will investigate the car park approaches, and progressing to the beach, modern dunes (southeast) and the low cliffs immediately southwest of the beach access point.  Emphasis will be on the diverse processes of deposition seen along this stretch of the coast. Sand grains may be transported by wind and water, consolidated by compaction or natural cement, but how, did the 2.5-tonne boulder arrive from Scotland?  

 Then, descending to the beach again, we will trek southwest on the irregular wave-cut platform (rocky raised beach) eroded into the Lower Carboniferous Pilton Beds (shallow marine sandstone, siltstone and mudstone – so what’s changed?). Investigating the low cliffs at the back of the beach provides clues to the rate and extent of previous episodes of global sea level rise (and fall), and the implied episodes of climate change over the last half million years (or so). Save CO₂ by not coming, but don’t succumb to social paranoia – make your own mind up based on your own observations!