From Folkestone’s sun-drenched East Cliff, where the French coast shimmers on the horizon, a breathtaking new secret has been unearthed! Now, beyond the picturesque view, you can delve into the dramatic past of our very own coastline.
A cutting-edge new information panel, strategically placed next to East Cliff Sports, is your portal to a prehistoric catastrophe that reshaped the world!
Installed by Kent Downs National Landscapes on land managed by the Folkestone Parks and Pleasure Grounds charity, this isn’t just a sign – it’s a window into an epic saga!
Featuring a stunning, eye-popping illustration, the panel explodes with the tale of a colossal megaflood that struck approximately 450,000 years ago. This wasn’t just any flood; it was one of the largest ever identified on Earth!
Picture it: a raging torrent that annihilated the very chalk ridge that once tethered Kent directly to northern France, carving out the Channel as we know it today! Prepare to be amazed as you uncover the raw power of nature that sculpted our world!
Greg Taylor from Kent Downs National Landscapes explained:
“When geologists were carrying out investigations for the Channel Tunnel, they were following a layer of 100-million-year-old rock called the ‘chalk marl’, but occasionally they would hit sections of much younger sediment, less than half a million years old.
“It was only in 2017 geologists finally established these sections of sediment were actually plunge pools. The flood waters were so powerful they had carved out pools up to 100-metres deep and hundreds of metres wide into what is now the sea floor. The Channel Tunnel course was diverted to avoid these plunge pools.”
Cllr Stephen Scoffham, Cabinet member for Climate, Environment and Biodiversity said:
“The story of the megaflood is truly fascinating and this interpretation panel really brings it alive. What happened here nearly half a million years ago has had a remarkable influence on the history of our country and indeed the rest of Europe.
“I hope that many of our residents will want to take a walk on our fabulous East Cliff to learn more about our heritage.
“As a council we are supporting an application for the Kent Downs to have UNESCO Global Geopark status with the Pas de Calais region of France, to celebrate our internationally important geology.”
Other panels have been installed at Farthing Common and elsewhere in Kent as part of the Kent Downs’ Geodiversity project. This is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs, to improve access and interpretation across the Kent Downs National Landscape.