The obelisk will be built from Portland stone quarried in Purbeck

The three-metre monument, to be made from locally quarried stone and with a stainless steel top, would be built at Studland Point on the Isle of Purbeck.

A similar monument - the Geoneedle - already marks the western tip of the Jurassic Coast at Orcombe Point, Devon.

Landowner The National Trust has agreed in principle to the project.

The obelisk will be set back from the clifftop, in the direction of Old Harry Rocks near Swanage, so it does not become a focal point in the landscape or interfere with views.

Dinosaur footprints

Richard Raynsford, Dorset County Council's case officer for the application, said: "The idea is to inset in to the obelisk samples of all the various rocks that occur along the heritage coast."

The 95-mile stretch of coastline from Exmouth in east Devon to Studland Bay in Dorset was awarded World Heritage Site status in 2001.

It is considered one of the most significant earth science sites in the world with 190 million years of earth history and areas of outstanding beauty including Lulworth Cove, Old Harry Rocks and Chesil beach, in Dorset.

It is also famous for its remarkable fossils such as dinosaur footprints.