Earth Based - Geology
Richards Mountain Pages

In Britain the Earth doesn't move on a grand scale these days, but landslips do occur - particularly after long wet spells. More violent actions like lava flows, folding of rocks and rifting occurred long ago. The signs of these are more hidden, so I've supplemented this page with an example of a rift opening up on the left here. This image was taken in Iceland, where large scale landscape changes are still going on.
The background for this page is a scanned in tile of slate from around Blaenau Ffestiniog. Slate is one of the rocks created by the action of heat and pressure within the Earth.

Volcanos
Its been a long time since there has been a volcanic eruption in Britain, but there is plenty of evidence of a violent past. Much of the Lake District was created by a volcano. The tuff thats scattered around resulted from settling layers of ash spewed out. There is some more evidence in Glen Coe, where the rock contains flecks which could have only got there through a volcanic eruption. Similar events took place around the jagged Cuillins of Rum and Skye.

If thats not enough evidence, then there is something a little more spectacular on the Isle Of Skye - and its not the Black Cuillin. To the North of the island, just North of Portree lies The Old Man Of Storr - this pinnacle is a volcanic plug - the cold remains of a volcano's central core. Just to make it obvious, the surrounding jagged lumps of rock form the skeleton of vents making a little cone around it.

For something a bit more recent, how about a Sunset through volcanic ash as seen over Cambridge in the early 1990s. Go on, follow the link, it really is a corker!

For something a bit more active this volcano site has just about every volcanic peak around the world.

Lava Flows
The island of Staffa is the most obvious example to cite. The basalt columns are the result of cooling lava. You'll also find basalt columns at the end of the Crib Goch on Snowdon. A Lava flow from the volcano on Rum is also responsible for the spectacular crag of An Sgurr on Eigg (see my Small Isles page). It flowed into what was a deep valley. In time the valley sides eroded leaving the rock nearly 400m prowd of the island, and overhanging.

Folding
Folded layers of rock can be found in many places. The Pembrokeshire coast is well known for its sloping rocks, but good examples can be seen elsewhere.

• On the English / Welsh border at Chepstow, where the road was carved through rock on the English side, a neat curve can be found right beside the road.
• The rocks of Lulworth Cove are particularly distorted. The best of these can be found on the Lulworth side of the Cove, just a little way to the West. Nearby Durdle Door has some more examples.

Landslides
The best examples I've come across of landslides have been in my hometown of Hythe in Kent. Along part of the ancient shoreline in the hills that ring the Romney Marsh, there have been numerous landslides. All along these hills you can find evidence of blocks sliding over each other and tilting backwards in the process. At the foot of the recent 1980's slide you can still see the way that the foot has spread out. On a smaller scale, you can see the action of creep on the steep grassy hillocks.
Other places to find landslides are near - Lyme Regis (South Coast), Ventnor (Isle Of Wight), Castleton (Peak District)

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