Cromer Shoal Chalk Beds


The Cromer Shoal Chalk Beds are a chalk reef off the coast of Cromer, Norfolk in the United Kingdom, believed to be the largest chalk reef in Europe. Since January 2016, it has been designated as a Marine Conservation Zone.
The chalk beds have an area of about 320 km2, starting 200m away from the coastline and extending about 10 km out into the North Sea, and stretching from west of Weybourne to Happisburgh. They are home to more than 350 marine species, including a species of purple Hymedesmia sponge first discovered there in 2011.