Abstract
The High Weald in south-east England hosts picturesque sandstone cliffs developed upon the Lower Cretaceous Ardingly Sandstones. Around 100 natural outcrops occur in the area, with the largest being continuous cliff lines over half a kilometre long and more than 10 m high. Cliffs typically occur in the upper parts of valley sides, at the junction with upland levels, and although rather low, they showcase a remarkable variety of geomorphic features arising from weathering and mass movements. Particularly notable are smooth, joint-controlled rock faces, gulls and passages giving rise to miniature rock labyrinths , basal overhangs and honeycombs. Surface crusting is ubiquitous and rapidly forming, and its presence solving the paradox of high vertical cliffs developed from otherwise rather soft rock. The general geomorphology of the cliffs dates back to the Pleistocene, but there is ongoing geomorphic activity, dominated by grain-by-grain sandstone disintegration. Six specific localities of sandstone cliffs and related features are described in this chapter.
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Acknowledgement
Field studies in High Weald as well as literature review conducted by F.D. were funded by the ETIUDA scholarship of the National Science Centre, Poland (project no. 2017/24/T/ST10/00101). P.M. is grateful to Dr. Peter Allen for his guidance to sandstone localities in the region.
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Duszyński, F., Migoń, P. (2020). Sandstone Landforms of the High Weald. In: Goudie, A., Migoń, P. (eds) Landscapes and Landforms of England and Wales. World Geomorphological Landscapes. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38957-4_6
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