Geography of the county of Kent in South East England. coat of Arms of Kent For other uses, see Kent (disambiguation). ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the King (Queen) England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified  -  by Athelstan 967 AD  Area  -  Total 130,395 km²  50,346 sq mi  Population  -  2006 estimate...

Physical geography

Geological map of south-east England

Geological cross section of Kent, showing how it relates to major towns

Kent is the south easternmost county in England. It is bounded on the north by the River Thames and the North Sea, and on the south by the Straits of Dover and the English Channel. The continent of Europe is a mere 21 miles across the Strait.^[1] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The Thames (pronounced //) is a river flowing through southern England, and one of the major waterways in England. ... The North Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, located between the coasts of Norway and Denmark in the east, the coast of the British Isles in the west, and the German, Dutch, Belgian and French coasts in the south. ... The Strait of Dover (Fr. ... Satellite view of the English Channel The English Channel (French: (IPA: ), the sleeve; Dutch: Het Kanaal) is the part of the Atlantic Ocean that separates the island of Great Britain from northern France and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. ...

The major geographical features of the county are determined by a series of ridges running from west to east across the county. These ridges are the remains of the Wealden dome, a denuded anticline across Kent and Sussex, which was the result of uplifting caused by the Alpine movements between 10-20 million years ago. The dome was formed of an upper layer of chalk above subsequent layers of upper greensand, upper clay, lower greensand, lower clay and red sandstone. The top of the dome eventually eroded away through weathering and ridges and valleys resulted across Kent and Sussex due to the exposed clay eroding at a faster rate than the exposed chalk, greensand and red sandstone. The following ridges and the valleys have formed across Kent, listed from north to south: A weald once meant a dense forest, especially the famous great wood once stretching far beyond the ancient counties of Sussex and Kent, England, where this country of smaller woods is still called the Weald. ... The Needles,situated on the Isle Of Wight, are part of the extensive Southern England Chalk Formation. ... Greensand is an olive-green coloured sandstone rock which found in narrow bands, particularly associated with bands of chalk and clay in northern and western Europe. ... The Gay Head cliffs in Marthas Vineyard are made almost entirely of clay. ... The New Red Sandstone is a chiefly-British geological term for the Triassic red beds that underlie the Jurassic Lias; the term distinguishes it from the Devonian Old Red Sandstone. ... Weathering is the process of breaking down rocks, soils and their minerals through direct contact with the atmosphere. ...

• the low lying London Clay marshlands along the Thames/Medway estuaries and along the North Kent coast;
• the chalk North Downs, containing the highest point of the county, Betsom's Hill, at 251m/823ft.^[2]
• the Vale of Holmesdale formed from Gault clay overlaid in the north with the upper layer greensand;
• the Greensand Ridge, formed from the lower layer of greensand, containing the source of the River Medway and its tributaries;
• the Wealden clay valley
• the red sandstone High Weald.^[3][4][5]

The chalk comes in three layers: the upper layer, about 500 feet thick, is a pure white limestone bedded and jointed with localised masses of flint (ideal for cement); the middle layer, about 170 feet thick, is a compact white chalk occasionally hard enough for building; the lower layer, about 170 feet thick, is a greyish marly chalk.^[5]Dartford, Gravesend, The Medway Towns, Sittingbourne, Faversham, Canterbury, Deal and Dover are built on chalk.^[4] The London Clay is a marine deposit which is well known for the fossils it contains. ... The North Downs in England are a ridge of chalk hills that stretch about 100 mi (160 km) from Hampshire through Surrey and Kent. ... Betsoms Hill is the highest point in the county of Kent, England with a height of 251 metres (852 feet). ... The River Medway in England flows for 112 km from Turners Hill, in West Sussex, through Tonbridge, Maidstone and the Medway Towns conurbation in Kent, to the River Thames at Sheerness, where it is the latters last tributary. ... A weald once meant a dense forest, especially the famous great wood once stretching far beyond the ancient counties of Sussex and Kent, England, where this country of smaller woods is still called the Weald. ... Dartford is the principal town in the borough of Dartford. ... Gravesend can refer to: Gravesend, Kent, England Gravesend, New York, USA This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Medway is the name given to a conurbation in the north of Kent, England. ... Sittingbourne is an industrial town about eight miles (12. ... Faversham is a town in Kent, England, in the district of Swale, roughly halfway between Sittingbourne and Canterbury. ... Canterbury is a cathedral city in east Kent in South East England and is the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Primate of All England, head of the Church of England and of the worldwide Anglican Communion. ... Deal can refer to: an agreement reached after negotiation, for example a contract to sell as a dealer or dealership a bargain a situation, as in whats the deal with the Johnson account ?. a problem, as in whats your deal ?. Deal$, a U.S. dollar store a Deal... Arms of Dover Borough Council This article is about the English port/town. ...

The eastern part of the the Wealden dome was eroded away by the sea. The White cliffs of Dover occur where the North Downs meets the coast. From there to Westerham is now the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.^[6] The chalk displays all its characteristic features such as steep sided dry valleys, and sunken roads.^[5] The location and extent of the white cliffs of Dover. ... The North Downs in England are a ridge of chalk hills that stretch about 100 mi (160 km) from Hampshire through Surrey and Kent. ... Westerham is a scenic village which is now almost a town. ... Kent Downs is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in Kent, England. ...

'The White Cliffs of Dover'

Greensand is a calcareous sandstone containing an uneven distribution of the mineral glauconite, giving the sandstone a greenish tinge. On exposure to the air this oxidises into a yellow stain. Sevenoaks, Maidstone, Ashford and Folkstone are built on the greensand.^[4] Greensand comes in four layers: the Folkestone Beds 60-250 ft thick; The Sandgate Beds 5-120 ft thick; the Hythe beds 60-350 ft thick and Atherfield Clays 15-50 ft thick.^[5] The soil of the greensand is quite varied, ranging from fertile to fairly sterile. On the fertile soils we see chestnut and stands of hazel and oak, while Scots Pine and Birch colonise the poorer soils.^[4] File links The following pages link to this file: Albion White cliffs of Dover Categories: Cliffs ... File links The following pages link to this file: Albion White cliffs of Dover Categories: Cliffs ... Sevenoaks is a town in the Sevenoaks district of Kent in South East England and forms part of the London commuter belt. ... Maidstone is the county town of Kent, England, halfway (30 miles) between the City of London and the English Channel. ... Ashford may mean the following places: In Australia: Ashford, New South Wales Ashford, South Australia Electoral district of Ashford - a state electoral district in South Australia In Canada: Ashford, Quebec In the Republic of Ireland: Ashford, County Wicklow In the United Kingdom: Ashford, North Devon Ashford, South Hams, Devon Ashford... Folkestone Harbour, picture taken from the golf court Folkestone (pronounced fōkstun) is a coastal resort town in the Shepway district of Kent, England. ...

The red sandstone is part of the Hastings Beds, which are resistant to weathering, leading to outcrops, such as High Rocks Tunbridge Wells, and sterile soil only suited to heathland and forests of Scots Pine. The Hastings Beds are divided into four: Tunbridge Wells Sand 130-400 ft; Wadhurst Clay 100-230 ft, shales with bands of sandstone and iron ore; Ashdown Beds 160-700 ft; sandstones; Fairlight Clays; grey and varigated shales. Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells are built on the red sandstone.^[5] This heap of iron ore pellets will be used in steel production. ... Statistics Population: 31,600 (2001) Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: TQ591468 Administration District: Tonbridge & Malling Shire county: Kent Region: South East England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Kent Historic county: Kent Services Police force: Kent Police Ambulance service: South East Coast Post office and telephone... Tunbridge Wells (officially Royal Tunbridge Wells) is a Wealden town in west Kent in England, just north of the border with East Sussex. ...

The Weald derives its ancient name from the Germanic word wald meaning simply woodland.^[7] Much of the area remains today densely wooded; where there are also heavy clays the tracks through are nearly impassable for much of the year. A weald once meant a dense forest, especially the famous great wood once stretching far beyond the ancient counties of Sussex and Kent, England, where this country of smaller woods is still called the Weald. ...

South-east England viewed from a NASA satellite September 2005

The Wealden dome is a Mesozoic structure lying on a Palaeozoic foundation, which usually creates the right conditions for coal formation. This is found in East Kent roughly between Deal, Canterbury and Dover. The coal measures within the Westphalian Sandstone are deep (below 244m - 396m) and subject to flooding. They occur in two major troughs, which extend under the English Channel where similar coalfields are sited.^[8] Image File history File links Kent_NASA.jpg Summary NASA http://visibleearth. ... Image File history File links Kent_NASA.jpg Summary NASA http://visibleearth. ... The Mesozoic Era is one of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic eon. ... The Palaeozoic is a major division of the geologic timescale, one of four geologic eras. ... Deal can refer to: an agreement reached after negotiation, for example a contract to sell as a dealer or dealership a bargain a situation, as in whats the deal with the Johnson account ?. a problem, as in whats your deal ?. Deal$, a U.S. dollar store a Deal... Canterbury is a cathedral city in east Kent in South East England and is the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Primate of All England, head of the Church of England and of the worldwide Anglican Communion. ... Arms of Dover Borough Council This article is about the English port/town. ... A coal measure (stratigraphic unit) is the name given to any rock sequence that occurs in the upper part of the Carboniferous System in Europe. ...

Seismic activity has occasionally been recorded in Kent, though the epicentre is offshore. In 1382 and 1580 there were two earthquakes exceeding 6.0 on the Richter Scale. In 1776, 1950 and 28 April 2007 there were earthquakes of around 4.3. The 2007 earthquake caused physical damage in Folkestone.^[9] The epicenter or epicentre (ancient Greek: επίκεντρον) is the point on the Earths surface that is directly above or below the center of a localized explosive event or point of seismic energy release. ... The Richter magnitude test scale (or more correctly local magnitude ML scale) assigns a single number to quantify the size of an earthquake. ... You biachs goona make me die{Earthquake | title = 2007 Kent earthquake | date = 28 April 2007 | map = 2007 Kent earthquake. ...

The coastline of Kent is continually changing, due to uplift and tidal erosion. The Isle of Thanet was till recently (AD 960) an island, formed around a deposit of chalk. The channels silted up with alluvium. Similarly Romney Marsh and Dungeness have been formed by accumulation of alluvium.^[5]

Kent's principal river, the River Medway, rises near Edenbridge and flows some 25 miles (40km) eastwards to a point near Maidstone when it turns north. Here it breaks through the North Downs at Rochester before joining the River Thames as its final tributary near Sheerness.^[10] The river is tidal as far as Allington lock, but in earlier times cargo-carrying vessels reached as far upstream as Tonbridge.^[10] The Medway has captured the head waters of other rivers such as the River Darent. There are other rivers in Kent, most notably the River Stour in the east. The River Medway in England flows for 112 km from Turners Hill, in West Sussex, through Tonbridge, Maidstone and the Medway Towns conurbation in Kent, to the River Thames at Sheerness, where it is the latters last tributary. ... Edenbridge is a town in the Weald of Kent, England on the River Eden, near the spot where the borders of Kent, Surrey and Sussex meet. ... Maidstone is the county town of Kent, England, halfway (30 miles) between the City of London and the English Channel. ... The North Downs in England are a ridge of chalk hills that stretch about 100 mi (160 km) from Hampshire through Surrey and Kent. ... Rochester is a small town in Kent, at the lowest bridging point of the River Medway about 30 miles (50 km) from London. ... The Thames (pronounced //) is a river flowing through southern England, and one of the major waterways in England. ... Look up tributary in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Map sources for Sheerness at grid reference TQ919749 Sheerness is a town on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, England. ... Allington is an almost entirely modern village situated on either side of the A20 road west of Maidstone in Kent. ... Statistics Population: 31,600 (2001) Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: TQ591468 Administration District: Tonbridge & Malling Shire county: Kent Region: South East England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Kent Historic county: Kent Services Police force: Kent Police Ambulance service: South East Coast Post office and telephone... The confluence of the River Darent (left) and the River Cray (right) on Crayford Marshes. ... There are four rivers draining the county of Kent. ... The River Stour is a river in Kent, England. ...

Flora and fauna

The wide range of habitats in the area gives the county a rich variety of Kent’s plant and animal species. These habitats are the consequence of a combination of several different factors including climate, geology, relief and land use.

A number of organisations exist in the county to help conserve the landscape and wildlife which lives within it. More than 60 nature reserves are managed by Kent Wildlife Trust. Kent houses a significant number of internationally important sites, including Special Protection Areas, Ramsar Wetlands, Special Areas of Conservation, Sites of Special Scientific Interest, National Nature Reserves, Environmentally Sensitive Areas, Local Wildlife Sites, Roadside Nature Reserves and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.^[11] A Special Protection Area or SPA is a designation under the European Commission Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds (79/409/EEC). ... The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands, i. ... A Special Area of Conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Commission Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora. ... A Site of Special Scientific Interest or SSSI is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. ... National Nature Reserve is a United Kingdom government conservation designation for a nature reserve of national significance. ... An Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) is a type of designation for an agricultural area which needs special protection because of its landscape, wildlife or historical value. ... An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is an area of countryside with significant landscape value in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, that has been specially designated by the Countryside Agency on behalf of the United Kingdom government. ...

Kent Wildlife Trust manages the Local Wildlife Sites system in Kent, and manages over 60 wildlife reserves over the county of Kent. Access is free and visitor centres provide educational programmes to children and adults alike.^[11] The Kent Wildlife Trust is a wildlife trust covering the county of Kent, England. ...

References