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Cliff erosion

The white chalk rafts seen in the cliff section on the approach to and below Wood Hill were shaped by ice, moving from the north to the west and raising up to 40 metres above beach level. The chalk is composed of calcium carbonate from the remains of microscopic marine organisms that once lived in a warm shallow sea which covered this area between 62 and 132 million years ago. Layers of flint pebbles can be seen embedded in the chalk. Erosion is evidenced by the heaps of sand and other materials accumulated at the cliff base, due to recent slides.