11: Fissure
Erosion on Durham’s limestone coast, slowed by rock waste, will increase due to climate change, sea level rise, and waste removal.
10: Red Lagoon – Floating Rocks
The beach has two intriguing features, a reverse gradient and red lagoons creating a surreal environment.
09: Red Lagoons
At Blast Beach’s south, a remarkable red lagoon formed by rock waste from mining activity. Iron-rich water interacts with Carboniferous rocks.
08: The Blast Beach Profile
As you head south, Blast Beach shifts from flat to convex profile due to sediment. Red lagoons form, coloured by iron-rich Carboniferous rocks.
07: Old boots
Miner’s boots, like nail boots, are part of Blast Beach’s industrial history. Thousands were buried in rock waste. Rare find today.
06: The Rock Waste Platform
Blast Beach’s man-made platform, unique on a rocky coast, protects cliffs from marine forces, allowing unexpected plant growth. Exceptional and surprising.
05: Industrial Archaeology
Blast Beach waste reveals mining history: old conveyor belt fragments and railway track sections confirm coal transport and mining activity.
04: Nose’s Point – Dawdon Colliery and Fossil ‘trees’
Nose’s Point: Once an industrial hub, coal mining left rock waste dumped on nearby beaches. Clues remain today.
03: Nose’s Point
Nose’s Point: Once an industrial hub, coal mining left rock waste dumped on nearby beaches. Clues remain today.
02: The Carboniferous period and Coal
The story of coal from Carboniferous deposits, how it forms, and its extraction history at the Blast Beach.
