Geology Of Cornwall
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Geology Of Cornwall
The geology of Cornwall, England, is dominated by its granite backbone, part of the Cornubian batholith, formed during the Variscan orogeny. Around this is an extensive metamorphic aureole (known locally as killas) formed in the mainly Devonian slates that make up most of the rest of the county. There is an area of sandstone and shale of Carboniferous age in the north east, and the Lizard peninsula is formed of a rare section of uplifted oceanic crust. Coasts Cornwall forms the tip of the south-west peninsula of the island Great Britain, and is therefore exposed to the full force of the prevailing winds that blow in from the Atlantic Ocean. The coastline is composed mainly of resistant rocks that give rise in many places to impressive cliffs. The north and south coasts have different characteristics. The north coast is more exposed and therefore has a wilder nature. The prosaically-named ''High Cliff'', between Boscastle and St Gennys, is the highest sheer-drop cliff i ...
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