Alum Bay

[2][3] Alum Bay is the location of a classic sequence of upper Paleocene and Eocene beds of soft sands and clays, separated by an unconformity from the underlying Cretaceous Chalk Formation that forms the adjoining headland of West High Down.

Due to geological folding of the Alpine orogeny, the strata in the main section of the bay are near vertical, with younger rocks with progressively lower dips to the west.

[5] Alum Bay Chine begins as a small wooded valley descending eastward from the junction of the B3322 and the road to Headon Hall.

A traditional product of Alum Bay, and a fixture of Isle of Wight tourist shops, was the creation of ornaments using the coloured sands layered in vials and jars.

The removal of minerals from the site is now prohibited by law under provisions laid out in notices attached to the Headon Warren and West High Down SSSI designation.

A view of the Needles from Alum Bay cliffs, with the Alum Bay chair lift in the foreground.
The cliffs of Alum Bay, showing the steeply-dipping multi-coloured sands above the white Chalk, with shallower dips towards the northern end
The amusement park at Alum Bay
The coloured sands at Alum Bay
Monument to Guglielmo Marconi