Overview 
Consisting of blue, brown and grey silty micaceous sands, clays and marls, with ferruginous layers, becoming browner and sandier towards the top of the division. Also bands of sandstone and the occasional ironstone nodule.

Originally known as the Laminated Beds.

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Fossils 

Known for its large oyster-like Gryphae cymbium and the Pseudopecten aequivalvis.

Zones and sub-zones 


Main zone is Amaltheus margaritatus

Subzone is Amaltheus gibbosus (margaritatus)

Beds and fossils 

 

Margaritatus Stone Bed 24 ammonites:
Amaltheus margaritatus
Amaltheus subnodosus
0.3m reddish-brown weathering band of ironshot grey limestone
Down Cliff Sands Bed 23 brachiopod: 
Gibbirhynchia muirwoodae
bivalve:
Gryphaea cymbium
Pseudopecten equivalvis
23 to 26m silts and sands
62ft above Starfish Bed is a 21" 'Conglomerate Bed' forming one band 5" laminated calcareous sandstone
2" flat pebbles and rolled Belemnites in clayey sand
14" laminated calcareous sandstone
38ft above Starfish Bed is an 4" thick pebble bed containing reddish nodules
8-14ft above Starfish Bed is an 8" thick black marl bed containing Isocrinus ossicles.

 

Bed photographs

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Viewed from the beach at Eype Mouth, the lighter coloured yellow/brown sands making up the higher Thorncombe Sands and the lower Down Cliff Sands can be seen in the bottom half of Thorncombe Beacon, Doghouse Hill and Ridge Cliff.

Other Down Cliff Sands references

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