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35-662: The Kimmeridgian Stage takes its name from the village of Kimmeridge on the Dorset coast, England . The name was introduced into the literature by French geologist Alcide d'Orbigny in 1842. The Kimmeridge Clay Formation takes its name from the same type location (although this formation extends from the Kimmeridgian stage of the Upper Jurassic into the Lower Cretaceous). It is the source for about 95% of

70-534: A nodding donkey pump that lifts crude oil from several hundred feet below the surface, in its early years it pumped more than 100,000 gallons per week, producing a total of 200,000 tonnes between 1961 and 1974. For elections to the UK parliament , Kimmeridge is in the South Dorset parliamentary constituency . In local government, Kimmeridge is in the Dorset unitary authority area at the highest tier. Kimmeridge

105-482: A fin Housed at the etches collection, discovered by Steve Etches Lepidotes Indeterminate Dorset Housed at the etches collection, discovered by Steve Etches Gyrodus Indeterminate Dorset Housed at the etches collection, discovered by Steve Etches Caturus Indeterminate Dorset Housed at the etches collection, discovered by Steve Etches Aspidorhynchus Indeterminate Dorset Housed at

140-501: A number of invertebrate species. Kimmeridge Clay is named after the village of Kimmeridge on the Dorset coast of England, where it is well exposed and forms part of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site . Onshore, it is of Late Jurassic ( Kimmeridgian ) age and outcrops across England, in a band stretching from Dorset in the south-west, north-east to North Yorkshire . Offshore, it extends into

175-512: A population of 206. Within Kimmeridge parish there are twenty-five structures that have been listed by Historic England for their historic or architectural interest. None has been listed as Grade I, but Smedmore House is Grade II*. Along the shore immediately eastwards of Kimmeridge Bay (above Hen Cliff ) is a folly known as Clavell Tower which inspired P.D. James 's novel The Black Tower . It had been in danger of falling down

210-498: A small stream on a roughly southwest-facing slope between the English Channel coast less than 1 mile (1.6 km) to the southwest and a curving line of hills immediately to the north and east. Measured directly it is about 7 miles (11 km) west of Swanage , 4.5 miles (7.2 km) south of Wareham and 15 miles (24 km) east of Weymouth . Kimmeridge civil parish covers land south and east of Kimmeridge village; it

245-587: Is a large wave-cut platform and a rocky shore with rock pools and attendant ecology. Kimmeridge Bay is a surfer and diver area. In the Iron Age and during the Roman occupation , ornaments and other objects were made from the black bituminous shale—known as blackstone or 'Kimmeridge coal'—that occurs in layers within the Kimmeridge clay that covers most of Kimmeridge parish. Armlets were manufactured from

280-566: Is a surfing area which breaks infrequently due to its lack of exposure to Atlantic swells, but can produce walls of water when it is 'on'. Below the cliffs to the East is 'The Ledges', with slow left- and right-hand breaking waves; the right-handers can spiral for 70 yards (64 m) or more into the bay. To the West is 'Broad Bench', within the Ministry of Defence firing range and only accessible when

315-400: Is bounded by the village stream and the copses of Higher and Lower Stonehips to the northwest, Smedmore Hill and the summit of Swyre Head to the northeast, field boundaries beyond Swalland Farm to the southeast, and the coastline between Rope Lake Head and Gaulter Gap to the southwest. The neighbouring parishes are Corfe Castle to the southeast, Church Knowle to the east, and Steeple to

350-510: Is defined by the first appearance of ammonites marking the boreal Bauhini Zone and the subboreal Baylei Zone. The top of the Kimmeridgian (the base of the Tithonian) is at the first appearance of ammonite species Hybonoticeras hybonotum . It also coincides with the top of magnetic anomaly M22An. The Kimmeridgian is sometimes subdivided into Upper and Lower substages. In the Tethys domain ,

385-592: Is part of the South East Purbeck ward which elects 1 member to Dorset Council . At the lower tier, Kimmeridge is a civil parish which has a Parish Meeting . Under former systems of local government, Kimmeridge was in Hasler Hundred until the 19th century, the Wareham and Purbeck Rural District from 1894 to 1974, and Purbeck District from 1974 to 2019. Kimmeridge village is sited beside

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420-419: Is piped to the main refinery on Southampton Water. In 2013 the estimated population of Kimmeridge civil parish was 90. In the 2001 census Kimmeridge parish had 55 dwellings and a population of 110. In the 2011 census results have been published for Kimmeridge parish combined with the neighbouring parishes of Steeple and Tyneham ; this combined area contained 101 dwellings and had 87 households with

455-672: Is the uppermost stage of the Jurassic in the timescale of the ICS . The base of the Kimmeridgian is at the first appearance of ammonite species Pictonia baylei in the stratigraphic column . The Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) for the base of the Kimmeridgian is the Flodigarry section at Staffin Bay on the Isle of Skye , Scotland , which was ratified in 2021. The boundary

490-533: The Late Jurassic epoch, overlain in many places by superficial Quaternary head deposits . The bedrock is mostly Kimmeridge clay , except for the top of Smedmore Hill and along to Swyre Head, which is formed from Portland stone . Between this and the Kimmeridge clay, and outcropping just beneath the top of the hill, is a thin band of Portland sand . Landslip deposits from the Portland stone cover most of

525-632: The petroleum in the North Sea . Historically, the term Kimmeridgian has been used in two different ways. The base of the interval is the same but the top was defined by British stratigraphers as the base of the Portlandian ( sensu anglico ) whereas in France the top was defined as the base of the Tithonian ( sensu gallico ). The differences have not yet been fully resolved; As of 2004 Tithonian

560-523: The type locality for the Jurassic age Kimmeridge Clay formation, which is well represented in southern England, and provides one of the source rocks for hydrocarbons found in the Wessex and North Sea Basins. The Kimmeridge Oil Field is northwest of Kimmeridge Bay. On the cliff west of the village is the Perenco "nodding donkey" oil pump which has been pumping continually since the late 1950s, making it

595-545: The Kimmeridge Clay include: Thrissops Indeterminate Dorset Most common Kimmeridge clay fish, known from several complete specimens Housed at the etches collection, discovered by Steve Etches Pachythrissops Indeterminate Dorset Housed at the etches collection, discovered by Steve Etches Allothrissops Indeterminate Dorset Housed at the etches collection, discovered by Steve Etches Chondrostei Indeterminate Dorset One specimen,

630-466: The Kimmeridgian contains seven ammonite biozones : Kimmeridge Kimmeridge ( / ˈ k ɪ m ə r ɪ dʒ / ) is a small village and civil parish on the Isle of Purbeck , a peninsula on the English Channel coast in Dorset , England. It is situated about 4.5 miles (7.2 km) south of Wareham and 7 miles (11 km) west of Swanage . In 2013 the estimated population of

665-742: The Lower Cretaceous ( Berriasian Stage) and it is found throughout the Southern, Central and Northern North Sea. The foundations of the Humber Bridge on the southern (Barton) side of the bridge are on Kimmeridge Clay beneath superficial deposits, under the Humber estuary. Kimmeridge Clay is of great economic importance, being the major source rock for oil fields in the North Sea hydrocarbon province . It has distinctive physical properties and log responses . Fauna uncovered from

700-644: The South Dorset Coast Site of Special Scientific Interest . All of Kimmeridge parish is within the Dorset National Landscape (formerly "Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty"), which is a national designation that signifies the highest level of protection in relation to landscape scenic beauty. All the buildings in Kimmeridge village are within the Kimmeridge Conservation Area , which was created by

735-505: The civil parish was 90. Kimmeridge is a coastal parish and its coastline forms part of the Jurassic Coast , a World Heritage Site . The coast is also part of a Site of Special Scientific Interest , and the whole parish is in the Dorset National Landscape area. Kimmeridge is the type locality for Kimmeridge Clay , the geological formation that covers most of the parish. Within the clay are bands of bituminous shale , which in

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770-414: The coast and Smedmore Hill. Only Kimmeridge survives as a settlement of any size. In the mid 16th century Lord Mountjoy attempted to make alum here and acquired a patent to do so, though the enterprise was unsuccessful. In the first half of the 17th century Sir William Clavell made several unsuccessful efforts to turn Kimmeridge into an industrial venture. He tried boiling seawater to make salt, using

805-438: The eroding cliff, so recently the tower was dismantled and then reassembled 115 feet (35 m) further back from the cliff edge. The tower is available as a holiday let. The parish church was mostly rebuilt in 1872, though it has 12th-century origins; the south door and parts of the west wall of the nave are still original. The south porch is early 13th century and the bell-cote is 15th century. In 2014 £2.7 million

840-532: The history of the village have been the focus of several attempts to create an industrial centre. An oil well has operated on the shore of Kimmeridge Bay since 1959. The village is the origin of the name of the Kimmeridgian stage of the Late Jurassic . The roughly semi-circular Kimmeridge Bay is southwest of Kimmeridge village. It is backed by low cliffs of Kimmeridge clay, and beneath the cliffs

875-605: The local planning authority in 1975 because of the historic and architectural interest of the village. Over 2,000 hectares (4,900 acres) of the coast and underwater environment at Kimmeridge Bay are designated as the Purbeck Marine Wildlife Reserve, the UK's oldest Voluntary Marine Nature Reserve; although offering no legal wildlife protection, there is a visitor centre beside Kimmeridge Bay. The geology of Kimmeridge civil parish comprises bedrock formed in

910-407: The neighbouring village of Church Knowle . In the mid 19th century the shale was used a source of oil, and in 1847 an Act of Parliament enabled causeways , inclined planes and tramways to be built so the shale could be transported to Weymouth for processing into various petroleum-based products, including varnish, pitch , naptha , and dyes. Gas was also extracted from the shale, though like

945-455: The north; this last parish includes the western half of Kimmeridge Bay and land very close to Kimmeridge village. Kimmeridge civil parish has several protected landscape designations covering it either in whole or part. Its coastline forms part of the Jurassic Coast , a World Heritage Site that was designated in 2001 due to the global significance of its geological features and earth science interest. The coast at Kimmeridge also forms part of

980-410: The oil it burned with a strong sulphurous smell, which limited its suitability as a domestic fuel and prevented fulfilment of a contract to supply gas to Paris for lighting. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution stationed a lifeboat at Kimmeridge in 1868 but it was removed in 1896. In 1959 an oil well was installed above the cliffs west of Gaulter Gap, overlooking Kimmeridge Bay. Comprising

1015-553: The oldest working oil pump in the UK. The well currently yields around 65 barrels per day (10.3 m /d) from the Middle Jurassic strata that lie around 1,150 feet (350 m) below the cliff. The well has been operating for this long because it has tapped into a network of connected reserves; however the yield is decreasing year on year. The oil is transported by tanker to the Perenco site at Wytch Farm from whence it

1050-485: The ranges are open to the public. Kimmeridge clay The Kimmeridge Clay is a sedimentary deposit of fossiliferous marine clay which is of Late Jurassic to lowermost Cretaceous age and occurs in southern and eastern England and in the North Sea . This rock formation is the major source rock for North Sea oil . The fossil fauna of the Kimmeridge Clay includes turtles, crocodiles , sauropods , plesiosaurs , pliosaurs and ichthyosaurs , as well as

1085-625: The shale as fuel as the Romans had done. He then followed in Mountjoy's footsteps and founded an alum works, though he failed to secure a patent and ran foul of alum merchants in London who had sole rights (granted by Charles I) to produce alum in England; the merchants took Clavell's property and demanded £1,000 per year, then destroyed the works and stole Clavell's cattle. Clavell took legal action but

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1120-484: The shale using a lathe, which produced waste in the form of hard black discs; these have been discovered at several sites, and were thought by 18th-century antiquaries to be coins and therefore called 'coal money'. The Romans also used the shale as fuel for boiling sea water to produce salt. In the medieval period there were three settlements within the parish: Kimmeridge, Little Kimmeridge, and Smedmore. These each had their own rectangular strip of land stretching between

1155-467: The steep southwest-facing slopes of the hills. Within the Kimmeridge clay are bands of bituminous shale and dolomite , which form flat ledges within Kimmeridge Bay that are exposed at low tide. Kimmeridge gives its name to the Kimmeridgian , the division of the Jurassic period in which the beds were laid down, because of the quality of the cliffs and the fossils they yield. Kimmeridge is also

1190-769: Was secured from the Heritage Lottery Fund for the purpose of creating a new museum in Kimmeridge, on the site of the old village hall . The project cost a total of £5 million and also houses conservation workshops and a new village hall and community space with a capacity for 120 people. The museum, called the Museum of Jurassic Marine Life, displays the Etches Collection of over 2,000 fossils collected over 30 years by village resident Steve Etches . The museum opened in October 2016. Kimmeridge Bay

1225-521: Was unsuccessful. He then tried to turn Kimmeridge into a port, and finally tried to manufacture glass with assistance from Sir Robert Mansell and Abraham Bigo, but both these enterprises failed; the pier which Clavell built for the port became ruinous and was destroyed by a storm in 1745. Clavell had Smedmore House built less than a mile south-east of Kimmeridge village; referring to it as his "little newe House", he moved into it on its completion in 1632. Previously Clavell lived at Barnston Manor , near

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