High Peak (Devon)
Geographical location
High Peak is a partially eroded cliff on the English Channel coast near Sidmouth, Devon, in the south of England.
Location
High Peak and Peak Hill are located west of the town of Sidmouth, Sidmouth and between the village of Otterton. Sidmouth is situated 20 kilometers east of the city of Exeter, 14 kilometers south of Honiton and about 16 kilometers north-east of Exmouth.
The highest point of high peak is 157 meters high.
On the edge of the cliff are the remains of earthworks, which point to a settlement in the Iron Age, Ancient Roman time and in the dark age. Archaeological investigations have shown that the earthworks still lasted well several tens of meters in an area that is now eroded by the sea. A general interpretation of high peak suggests that it was an Iron Age Hill Fort, which has been found in the dark age re-use, probably as a fortified trading post on the coast.
Jurassic Coast
The cliffs of High Peak are part of the so-called Jurassic Coast (see also: List of places on the Jurassic Coast).
This coast and the cliffs along East Devon and Dorset are among the outstanding natural monuments in Europe. From Orcombe Point to Old Harry Rocks, east of Studland Bay, an approximately 155 -kilometer-long coastline, which has been declared as the first natural landscape in England by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site stretches.
The rock formations along the coast are inclined to the east. Therefore, the oldest part is in the western area, progressively younger rocks form the cliffs to the east. The natural outcrops along the Jurassic Coast reveal a continuous sequence of resulting in Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous geological deposits, representing about 185 million years of Earth's history.
Geology
There are four layer sequences along the coast below the High Peak. The Otter Sandstones form the base layer of the cliffs. These red sandstones come from a hot, dry climate in the Triassic period about 220 million years ago. The deposits in the middle of the cliff are Mercia mudstones. The formations of the Mercia Mudstone - group consist of layers of different mudstone, siltstone and sandstone minerals. They were formed about 200 million years ago.
Above the Triassic formations are deposits from the Cretaceous period. The rock formations show layers of Upper Greensand, which were formed about 80 million years.
The summit of High Peak Hill is formed of flint gravel. This layer is probably a relic of the Cretaceous rocks, which was washed away in the early Tertiary before about 60 to 65 million years ago by erosion.
Along the Jurassic Coast is a series of fossils sites. Below the cliffs of High Peak Hill and Peak Hill fossils of various vertebrates ( fish, reptiles and amphibians) were found from the Triassic period.