Corton Cliffs

{{Short description|Site of Special Scientific Interest in England}}

{{Infobox SSSI

|image= Corton Cliffs 3.jpg

|image_caption =

|name= Corton Cliffs

|aos= Suffolk

|interest=Geological

|gridref={{gbmappingsmall| TM 546 967 }}

|area= 5.5 hectares

|notifydate= 1987

|map=[http://magic.defra.gov.uk/MagicMap.aspx?startTopic=Designations&activelayer=sssiIndex&query=HYPERLINK%3D%271002283%27 Magic Map]

}}

Corton Cliffs is a {{convert|5.5|hectare|acre|adj=on}} geological Site of Special Scientific Interest north of Lowestoft in Suffolk.{{cite web|url= https://designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk/SiteDetail.aspx?SiteCode=S1002283&SiteName=corton&countyCode=&responsiblePerson=&SeaArea=&IFCAArea= |title=Designated Sites View: Corton Cliffs | series= Sites of Special Scientific Interest|publisher=Natural England|accessdate = 8 May 2017}}{{cite web |url=https://www.planning.data.gov.uk/entity/14501604#52.50596110670972,1.7527194440552876,14.867587618686409z |title=Site of special scientific interest - Corton Cliffs |publisher=Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government |work=data.gov.uk |access-date=23 February 2025}}{{cite web|url=http://magic.defra.gov.uk/MagicMap.aspx?startTopic=Designations&activelayer=sssiIndex&query=HYPERLINK%3D%271002283%27|title=Map of Corton Cliffs|series= Sites of Special Scientific Interest|publisher=Natural England|accessdate= 8 May 2017}} It is a Geological Conservation Review site.{{cite web|url= http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=4174&gcr=590 |series=Geological Conservation Review|title=Corton (Quaternary of East Anglia) |publisher=Joint Nature Conservation Committee|accessdate= 3 May 2017}}

This is described by Natural England as a "nationally important" site, as it is the type locality for the Anglian glaciation around 450,000 years ago. The Anglian was the most extreme ice age of the Pleistocene epoch. The site displays the complete Anglian sequence and its relation to the preceding Cromerian stage.{{cite web|url=http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1002283.pdf|title=Corton Cliffs citation|series=Sites of Special Scientific Interest|publisher=Natural England|accessdate=8 May 2017|archive-date=4 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150504194244/http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1002283.pdf|url-status=dead}}

Below the site is a public beach. Corton Beach was designated a naturist beach in the 1970s.{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/02/23/corton-beach-lowestoft-suffolk-naturist-naked-sunbathing/ |title=Naturists' anger at council attempt to ban 'lewd' naked sunbathing |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |url-access=subscription |date=23 February 2025 |access-date=23 February 2025}}{{cite web |url=https://www.walkingclub.org.uk/nudist-beach/Corton-Sands-Suffolk.html |title=Corton Sands - near Lowesoft |website=Saturday Walkers Club |access-date=23 February 2025}}