Site Code
Country: United Kingdom
Central coordinates: 51.38696260o [51o 23' 13" North], 1.44121718o [1o 26' 28" East]
Administrative region: South East (East Kent)
Area: 63 ha
Altitude: 0 - 10
Site Description
Thanet Coast in the extreme south-east of England is the longest continuous stretch of coastal chalk in the UK. It represents approximately 20% of the UK resource of this type and 12% of the EU resource. The subtidal chalk platforms extend offshore in a series of steps dissected by gullies.
Botanical Significance
Noted for marine algae interest. Species present include an unusually rich littoral algal flora, essentially of chalk-boring algae, which may extend above high water mark into the splash zone in wave-exposed areas. Thanet remains the sole known location for some algal species. The site is bordered by about 23 km of chalk cliffs with many caves and stack and arch formations. Partially submerged caves around Thanet vary considerably in depth, height and aspect and hence in the algal communities present. Some caves extend for up to 30 m into the cliffs and reach 6-10 m in height, although many are much smaller. They support very specialised algal and lichen communities containing species such as Pseudendoclonium submarinum and Lyngbya spp., some of which were first described from Thanet and have never been recorded elsewhere.Species of interest; Pilinia rimosa, Apistonema carterae
Management guidance notes
None
Notes
None