Pebbles on a beach at St Bees.
A pebble is a clast of rock with a particle size of 4 to 64 millimeters based on the Krumbein phi scale of sedimentology. It is generally described to be larger than gravel and smaller than cobble. A rock made predominantly of pebbles is termed a conglomerate. Pebble tools are among the earliest known man-made artifacts, dating from the Palaeolithic period of human history. A beach composed chiefly of surface pebbles is commonly termed a shingle beach, which has armoring characteristics with respect to wave erosion; moreover, this type of beach has unusual ecological niches that may provide habitat for a number of rare and endangered species. This beach at St Bees is situated in Cumbria, some 40 miles from the English Scottish border. It is a small, very friendly community with a population of about 1,800. It is best known for St Bees School , a 400 year old co-educational public school, the Priory of St Mary and St Bega which dates back to 1120, and to countless numbers of walkers, as the start (or end) of the Wainwright Cross-England Coast to Coast Walk .
Size: 5128px × 3373px
Location: St Bees, Cumbria, England.
Photo credit: © Simon Hathaway / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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