You are standing on the beach, at low tide, about 500 metres from the twin towers. Picture 'a' is a view eastwards and it shows the low, unprotected cliffs. The cliffs which are about 20 metres high here, are made, geologically speaking, of young [ only 50-65 million years old! ] sedimentary rocks, mainly soft sandstones. As you walk westwards, the layers get younger. The layers have been tilted slightly and Chalk rocks, which appear at the surface on the Isle of Thanet, are hidden at Reculver about 20 metres below the level of the beach. Below the cliffs is a narrow shingle beach, mainly of flinty material. This is shown again in picture 'b' which is looking south towards the cliffs. Underneath the shingle is a rocky wave-cut platform made of the same sandstone rocks as the cliff. It is gradually widened as the cliffs retreat back due to the rapid erosion by waves. Beyond the wave-cut platform, a mix of sand and mud can be seen at low tide.