Editing Old Harry Rocks

{{Short description|Coastal chalk formations in Dorset, England}}
{{Citations needed|date=May 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox landform
| name              = Old Harry Rocks
| other_name        = 
| type              = [[Sea stack]]s
| photo             = Oldharryrocks.jpg
| photo_width       = 
| photo_alt         = 
| photo_caption     = 
| map               = United Kingdom Dorset
| map_width         = 
| map_caption       = 
| map_alt           = 
| relief            = 
| label             = 
| label_position    = 
| mark              = 
| marker_size       = 
| location          = [[Isle of Purbeck]], [[Dorset]], [[England]]
| grid_ref_UK       = SZ0350382564
| coordinates       = {{coord|50.6423|-1.9236|region:GB|display=inline,title}}
| range             = 
| part_of           = [[Jurassic Coast]]
| water_bodies      = 
| elevation_ft      = <!-- or |elevation_m = -->
| elevation_ref     = 
| surface_elevation_ft = <!-- or |surface_elevation_m = -->
| surface_elevation_ref =
| highest_point     = 
| highest_elevation = 
| highest_coords    = 
| length            = 
| width             = 
| area              = <!-- {{Convert|NN|ha|acres}} -->
| depth             = 
| drop              = 
| formed_by         = 
| geology           = [[Chalk]]
| age               = 
| orogeny           = 
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}}

[[Image:Oldharryandwife.jpg|thumb|right|Old Harry and his (latest) wife]]

'''Old Harry Rocks''' are three [[chalk]] formations, including a [[Stack (geology)|stack]] and a stump, located at Handfast Point, on the [[Isle of Purbeck]] in [[Dorset]], southern [[England]]. They mark the most eastern point of the [[Jurassic Coast]], a UNESCO [[World Heritage Site]].

== Location ==
Old Harry Rocks lie directly east of [[Studland]], about {{convert|2.5|mi|0}} north east of [[Swanage]], and about {{convert|5|mi|0}} south of the large towns of [[Poole]] and [[Bournemouth]]. To the south are the chalk cliffs of [[Ballard Down]], much of which is owned by the [[National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty|National Trust]]. The rocks can be viewed from the Dorset section of the [[South West Coast Path#Dorset|South West Coast Path]].{{Cn|date=July 2022}}

== Formation ==
The chalk of Old Harry Rocks used to be part of a long stretch of chalk between Purbeck and the Isle of Wight, but remained as a headland after large parts of this seam were eroded away. As the headland suffered [[hydraulic action]] (a process in which air and water are forced into small cracks by the force of the sea, resulting in enlarging cracks), first  caves, then arches formed. The tops of the arches collapsed after being weakened by rainfall and wind, leaving disconnected stacks. One of these stacks is known as Old Harry. Old Harry's Wife was another stack which was eroded through corrosion and abrasion, until the bottom was so weak the top fell away, leaving a stump. Hydraulic action is the main cause of erosion ([[shearing (physics)|shear]] force of the waves) that damaged the rock and caused it to fall away.{{Cn|date=July 2022}}

== Geology ==
The [[downland]]s of Ballard Down are part of the Portsdown Chalk Formation, containing some bands of [[flint]], and were formed 84–72 million years ago in the [[Campanian]] age of the [[Late Cretaceous]].<ref name=ianwest>{{cite web |url=https://wessexcoastgeology.soton.ac.uk/Harry-Rocks.htm |title=Geology of Harry Rock sand Ballard Point |access-date=2007-12-21 |work=Geology of the Wessex Coast of Southern England }}</ref> The bands of stone have been gradually [[erosion|eroded]] over the centuries, some of the earlier stacks having fallen (Old Harry's original wife fell in 1509), while new ones have been formed by the breaching of narrow isthmuses.<ref name=ianwest/> Across the water to the east, [[The Needles]] on the Isle of Wight are usually visible. These are also part of the same chalk band and only a few thousand years ago were connected to [[Ballard Down]].

To form the stacks, the sea gradually eroded along the joints and bedding planes where the softer chalk meets harder bedrock of the rock formations to create a cave. This eventually eroded right through to create an arch. The arch subsequently collapsed to leave the stacks of Old Harry and his wife, No Man's Land (the large outcrop of rock at the end of the cliffs) and the gap of St Lucas' Leap.

Old Harry is formed by erosion processes, which will eventually remove the stack, whilst new stacks develop. Some people desire to preserve the rocks and protect them from the erosive processes that formed Old Harry. The [[National Trust]], who own the stacks in perpetuity, have experience in looking after the coast, and have found that "working with natural processes is the most sustainable approach".<ref>Shifting Shores. Living with a changing coastline (National Trust)</ref>

== Legend ==
There are various stories about the naming of the rocks. One legend says that the [[Devil]] (traditionally known euphemistically as "Old Harry") slept on the rocks. Another local legend says that the rocks were named after [[Harry Paye]], the infamous Poole [[pirate]], whose ship hid behind the rocks awaiting passing merchantmen.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/purbeck-countryside/features/old-harry---purbeck-landmark|title=Old Harry - Purbeck landmark|publisher=[[National Trust]]}}</ref>
Yet another tale has it that a ninth-century Viking raid was thwarted by a storm and that one of the drowned, Earl Harold, was turned into a pillar of chalk.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EtrsAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT44|page=44|year=2014|title=The Coastal Headlands of Mainland Britain: A practical guide and much more...|author=Fellows, Griff |publisher=eBookPartnership.com |isbn=9781783014583}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[The Needles]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
*{{cite book|title= A Walk Through Time, the Official Guide to the Jurassic Park |author=The Jurassic Park Trust| publisher= Coastal Publishing| year=2003|isbn=978-0-9544845-0-7}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.southampton.ac.uk/~imw/Harry-Rocks.htm Geology of Harry Rocks and Ballard Point] Ian West, University of Southampton
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/education/clips/zdmb4wx Old Harry Rocks, Dorset: GCSE Geography] BBC Bitesize

{{Jurassic Coast}}

[[Category:Isle of Purbeck]]
[[Category:Landforms of Dorset]]
[[Category:Stacks of England]]
[[Category:Geology of Dorset]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Dorset]]
[[Category:Jurassic Coast]]<!-- western end point -->