The Mixon

The Mixon (reef, rocks or shoal) are a limestone outcrop in the English Channel about 1 mile (1,600 m) off Selsey Bill, West Sussex.

The Mixon is part of a Marine Conservation Zone and supports diverse wildlife including short-snouted seahorses, squat lobsters and crabs along with red algae and kelp in shallower waters.

[1] The exact configuration of the coastline in the early Holocene is not precisely known, but the Mixon and other reefs in the area that were formed within the sands and silts of the Bracklesham Group are thought to have significantly shaped the palaeogeographic landscape and protected against coastal erosion.

[8][9][10] The Mixon rock has been quarried at least since the Roman occupation of the area and became an important building stone in the late Saxon period.

[14] The crevices and ledges within the Mixon Hole provide a habitat for a variety of marine species including short-snouted seahorses, squat lobsters and crabs, along with red algae.

[16] The UK Government established Marine Conservation Zones(MCZ) to protect the populations and habitats of rare or threatened species.

It has an area of around 16 square kilometres (6.2 sq mi)[15][17] Mixon Rock is a tough, coarse-grained, pale grey to honeyyellow bioclastic limestone or calcareous sandstone.

The rock contains microfossils, such as Foraminifera, along with shell debris, sponge spicules and echinoid spines, some corals, bryozoans and shark teeth.

The Mixon Hole forms the north side of a drowned river gorge which is kept open by the strong tidal currents through it.

A coffin full of contraband would be deposited on the beach, ready to be picked up and distributed by a coastal cutter, and because it seemed to be a funeral rite this practice would not attract the attention of the customs official.