The cove has formed as a result of bands of rock of alternating geological resistance running parallel to the coastline. On the seaward side the clays and sands have been eroded away. A narrow band of Portland limestone rocks forms the shoreline. Behind this is a narrow band of slightly less-resistant Purbeck limestone. Behind this are of much less-resistant clays and greensands; Wealden clays, Gault and Upper Greensand. Forming the back of the cove is a band of chalk, which is considerably more resistant than the clays and sands, but less resistant than the limestones. The entrance to the cove is a narrow gap in the limestone bands, formed by wave action and weathering. The wide part of the cove is where the weak clays and greensands have been eroded. Stair Hole, less than half a mile to the west, is an infant cove which suggests what Lulworth Cove would have looked like a few hundred thousandyears ago. The sea has made a gap in the Portland and Purbeck limestone here, as well as a small arch. The sea has made its way through to the Wealden clays and begun eroding them.
Geography
The shape of the cove is a result of wave diffraction. The narrow entrance to the cove causes waves to bend into an arced shape, as is visible in the photograph below.
Conservation
As well as the cove, across Hambury Tout is Durdle Door, a natural arch. To the east there is a fossilised forest. Lulworth is also close to Kimmeridge, famous for its rocky shore and fossils. Oil-bearing sands beneath the sea bed form the largest British oil field outside the North Sea area, and contain the highest quality oil in Europe. Geologists and geographers have been interested in the area since the beginning of the 19th century, and in the 1830s the first serious study of the area took place. Since then the area has drawn students from all over the world. The area suffers from trampling from its many visitors. Wooden steps, fences and steps have been put in place to limit this surface damage. In 2001 the coast was granted World Heritage Site status by UNESCO. Experts at UNESCO have been working on preserving the shape of Lulworth Cove. Lulworth was one of a number of gateway villages on the coast with a Heritage Centre—part visitor centre, tourist information and natural history museum; in 2002 the latter received 418,595 visitors. Most of the area is privately owned by the Lulworth Estate, an estate held by the Welds, a wealthy landowning family. Land to the east is owned by the Ministry of Defence and used for tank training; it is open only at weekends and holidays. The coast and land to the north and around the village is owned and managed by the Lulworth Estate. Each year, over 250,000 people walk across the hill linking the cove to Durdle Door.
