Cresswell and Newbiggin Shores
Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NZ299929 | — | Favourable | 66.38 | 2012-08-15 |
| NZ305859 | — | Favourable | 15.3 | 2012-08-09 |
| NZ310869 | — | Favourable | 14.55 | 2012-08-09 |
| NZ317886 | — | Favourable | 53.92 | 2012-08-09 |
Climate exposure
This is about exposure to a nationwide pressure this habitat type carries — not a verdict on this site's own management.
Coastal habitats are exposed to sea-level rise and storm erosion. Where hard sea defences sit behind them, there's nowhere landward to retreat to — a squeeze that keeps compressing the habitat no matter how well it's managed.
Geology & landscape
Geological Period: Carboniferous, Quaternary · Rock Type: Glacial Till, Sandstone
Landscape processes: Coastal, Fluvial, Glacial
Description
Area,148.09 hectares 365.93 ac Description Cresswell and Newbiggin Shores is important for both Westphalian and Quaternary studies. It comprises the best exposure in the Northumberland Coalfield of Middle Carboniferous strata belonging to the Upper similis pulchra Biozone. It includes a thick sequence from the High Main Seam to the Vanderbeckei Marine Band and is the highest part of this coalfield to be well exposed. It includes an interesting mixture of fluvial sandstones and marine shales, indicating that, unlike the slightly older sequence exposed nearby at Tynemouth Seaton Sluice SSSI, the tectonic subsidence of the area was greater than the input of sediment. This exposure has not been the subject of such detailed sedimentological analysis as the Tynemouth Seaton Sluice section and the fluvial sediment in particular should yield valuable information on the palaeogeography of the area at this time. The southern section of the site is also an important Quaternary site for the study of glacial till. It is the longest and best section of Late Devensian till on the coast of Northumberland and shows several characteristic features of lodgement till deposition. The till rests partly on a striated shore platform and partly on glacially disturbed bedrock. As elsewhere in North East England, the till has been subdivided into two separate units, but recent work indicates that the upper reddened till is a product of post glacial weathering. Good examples of weathered carboniferous sandstone bedrock occur in the cliffs to the north of the till section. This is a site of considerable potential research interest.