How was the Island formed?
Sedimentary rocks were laid down over many millions of years on ancient basement rock now deeply buried beneath the Island. The oldest sedimentary rocks visible on the Island date from about 126 million years ago. At this time sands and muds were being deposited on a river floodplain. Several millions of years later this ancient ‘dinosaur’ floodplain was covered by a shallow sea which gradually deepened until about 100 million years ago when the White Chalk limestone began to form on the seafloor. Millions of years later, uplift of the seafloor exposed the Chalk to erosion. Fresh and brackish water clays and limestones were then deposited. By about 30 Million years ago, the land was again exposed to erosion. 12000 years ago, after the Ice-Age, as ice and snow melted, the sea rose dramatically and cut off the landmass that we know as the British Isles, from continental Europe. By about 6000 years ago, the Isle of Wight was cut off from the English Mainland. Rising sea levels, and consta
