Skip to content
Top curves
 

Yellow sandstone, Sussex

Sandstone hand specimen These Cretaceous sandstones in the image below, laid down around 110 million years ago, contain few fossils. Those fossils that have been found are of sea-shells.

Slanting beds (large-scale cross-bedding) like these are laid down in fast-flowing tidal currents today, so these sands may have been deposited by ancient tidal currents that swept the sand along as shown in the diagram.
tidal flow diagram These crumbly, soft sandstones are now quarried for building sand. The yellow colour is due to iron compounds cementing the grains together.

Heath End Sand Pit, Sussex

Heath End Pit, Sussex
 
 
Bottom curves