THE GEOLOGY OF THE PURBECK HILLS. 143 

 PHYSICAL FEATURES OF THE DISTRICT. 



The Purbeck Hills, commencing at the chalk cliffs of the 

 Foreland, form at Handfast Point the south-easterly pro- 

 montory of Studland Bay. Their range proceeds from this 

 point W.S.W. for rather less than a mile, forming the high chalk 

 cliffs of the eastern half of Ballard Down so far as Punfield Cove, 

 where they bound the northern side of Swanage Bay. At Pun- 

 field Cove the Purbeck Hills strike inland, continuing as the 

 high ridge of Ballard Down, which rises to a height of 528 ft. 

 About two miles from the Foreland their range curves W.N.W., 

 and thence extends in a wide sweep ten miles in length, having 

 its concavity to the South and terminating at Worbarrow Bay. 

 This is a point one mile beyond the stream known as Luckford 

 Lake, which is considered geographically the western 

 boundary of the Isle of Purbeck. The eastern portion 

 of the ridge is known as Nine Barrow Down, which rises to s 

 height of 655 ft. This terminates at about the centre of the 

 range at Corfe Gap. West of this, the ridge is known as 

 Knowle Hill, 481 ft. in height. Two miles from Corfe, on the 

 northern flank of the hill, is the well-known eminence of 

 Creech Barrow, which in height is only slightly less than the 

 Purbeck Hills. Geologically Creech Barrow is of extreme 

 interest, as it consists of Tertiary beds, probably of Bagshot 

 sands, which have been shown by the late Mr. W. H. 

 Hudleston to be there capped by limestone of the Oligocene 

 age. From this we conclude that the Tertiary beds were 

 formerly overlain by Oligocene strata, which now occur 

 nowhere else in this district. In Section I., Plate I., 

 their probable position has been indicated in the extreme 

 right of the diagram. As Creech Barrow does not come 

 strictly within the subject of this paper, it will not be further 

 considered. 



At Creech Barrow the ridge of Purbeck Hills bends 

 slightly southwards, about W.S.W., and is there known 

 as Flowers Barrow, which is 567 ft. high, thence it 

 terminates geographically in Warborrow Bay. 



