Geology Site Account

Site name: Purfleet foreshore Chalk outcrop

Grid reference: TQ 54931 78340

Brief description of site:

A small outcrop of Upper Chalk on the foreshore at Purfleet. This is the oldest rock exposed on the Essex coast.

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Summary of geological interest

A small outcrop of Upper Chalk can be seen at low tide on the foreshore at Purfleet just a few hundred metres north-west of the Royal Hotel.

The Chalk contains numerous flints and occasional fossils. Additionally, at very low Spring tides, the feather edge of a Neolithic Submerged forest can be seen resting on the underlying Chalk (see also 'Purfleet Submerged Forest' to the west of the Mardyke River).