Cligga Head
Also within
Cornwall County Cornwall Scenic Area King Charles Way - Newquay to Penzance National TrailSouth West Coast Path National Trail
Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SW737531 | — | Favourable | 107.59 | 2010-08-04 |
Climate exposure
This is about exposure to a nationwide pressure this habitat type carries — not a verdict on this site's own management.
Coastal habitats are exposed to sea-level rise and storm erosion. Where hard sea defences sit behind them, there's nowhere landward to retreat to — a squeeze that keeps compressing the habitat no matter how well it's managed.
Habitats
Geology & landscape
Mining / Industrial: Mine Spoil, Quarry · Geological Period: Carboniferous, Devonian · Rock Type: Granite
Landscape processes: Coastal, Karst, Volcanic / Igneous
Birds & fish recorded
Fish
| Species | Season |
|---|---|
| Grayling | Unknown |
Description
Cligga Head SSSI Description Cligga Head is a coastal site with species rich maritime heathland and grassland. The cliffs and adjacent mine workings are of outstanding geological interest exposing greisened granite and rare minerals. The site extends for about 2.5 kilometres along the North Cornwall coast from Perranporth to Trevaunance Cove near St Agnes. The exposed north-west facing cliffs have a bevelled profile with steep slopes rising to 91 metres A.O.D., then a vertical cliff of 25 to 35 metre height. Most of the area is underlain by Devonian slates of the Ladock Beds, which are metamorphosed throughout the northern half of the site, due to the intrusions of the granite boss exposed at Cligga Head. This site, which is of international geological repute, shows a remarkable example of extensive alteration of a granite of Permo-Carboniferous age by a range of secondary processes. Flat lying joints, formed as the granite cooled, are folded into an antiform and synform. These deformed joint structures are unique in the granites of southwest England, and together with two steeply dipping channelways largely determined the distribution of the effects of later alteration processes such as greisening (modification of granite to a quartz-mica rock often adjacent to veins), higher and lower tempeature mineralisation and kaolinisation. The site also shows an extremely fine example of a vein swarm resulting from the fracturing of a granite cusp. The quarry above the mine exposes granite, greisenized along joints in bands up to 0.5 metres in width. The greisen contains cassiterite, wolframite, topaz, tourmaline and copper minerals. The mine workings are exposed in the cliff face and large areas of dumps yield interesting mineral specimens. Marine erosion of the veins ensures a supply of vein material on the beach below the cliffs. Rarer minerals include isostannite, molybdenite and euclase. The secondary alteration produce of stannite, varlamoffite was recorded here for the first time in Britain. Other secondary minerals often as fine specimens, are scorodite, olivinite and pharmacosiderite. The mineralisation is representative of the lower part of the tin zone but the mine was worked for tungsten rather than tin. Soils are well drained and in many areas are extremely toxic due to mine waste deposits rich in toxic metals. Most of the site is covered in maritime heath, with occasional patches of maritime grassland. Bracken and scrub occur only in small clumps. Much of the area around Cligga Head has been disturbed by mining in the past but this is being recolonised by ling Calluna vulgaris. Western gorse, Ulex gallii, and bell heather Erica cinerea occur elsewhere, forming extensive areas of maritime heathland on the less disturbed southern area. Associated herbs include common dog violet Viola riviniana, wild carrot Daucus carota, tormentil Potentilla erecta, the rare plant species, hairy greenweed Genista pilosa, and the local pale heath violet Viola lactea. Another rare plant species, Cornish eyebright Euphrasia vigursii has also been reorded. Mountain everlasting Antennaria dioica, which is normally restricted to northern England and Scotland, and soft leaved sedge Carex montana, which is very local nationally, also occur here. On sections of the north facing cliff, there are abundant cowslips Primula veris. Maritime grassland is restricted to the cliff edges. Typical species include red fescue Festuca rubra, thrift Armeria maritima, spring squill Scilla verna, kidney vetch Anthyllis vulneraria, and burnet rose Rosa spinosissima. Portland spurge Euphorbia portlandica, a species restricted to the southwest coast, is found in the northern section, as is rock sea lavender Limonium binervosum. The area is moderately rich in bryophyte species. Tortella tortuosa is a moss rare in the south of Britain and there are two liverwort species of particular note; Fossombronia caespitiformis, which is local in Cornwall and nationally restricted to the southwest and south Wales, and Solenostoma pumilum which is rare in west Cornwall. Cligga Head is also an important site for lepidoptera; some 88 moth species and four butterfly species have been recorded here including grayling Hipparchia semele, and the very local silver-studded blue Plebejus argus.
Species mentioned
Show the 23 species mentioned in the description, with red-list statusPlant communities
W20 — Montane scrub
Salix lapponum-Luzula sylvatica scrub
Show 107 indicator speciesSalix arbuscula, Salix cinerea, Salix lapponum, Salix myrsinites, Salix phylicifolia, Salix reticulata, Empetrum nigrum, Calluna vulgaris, Salix lanata, Vaccinium myrtillus, Vaccinium uliginosum, Carex atrata, Carex bigelowii, Carex binervis, Carex flacca, Luzula multiflora, Luzula sylvatica, Huperzia selago, Selaginella selaginoides, Aulacomnium palustre, Mnium hornum, Philonotis fontana, Plagiomnium undulatum, Rhizomnium punctatum, Dicranum bonjeanii, Dicranum majus, Dicranum scoparium, Fissidens adianthoides, Racomitrium lanuginosum, Calliergonell cuspidatum, Ctenidium molluscum, Hylocomium splendens, Hypnum callichroum, Hypnum cupressiforme, Palustriella commutatum, Plagiothecium denticulatum, Plagiothecium undulatum, Pleurozium schreberi, Ptilium crista-castrensis, Rhytidiadelphus loreus, Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus, Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus, Sanionia uncinata, Scorpidium revolvens, Thuidium tamariscinum, Atrichum undulatum, Polytrichastrum alpinum, Sphagnum capillifolium, Sphagnum fallax, Sphagnum girgensohnii, Sphagnum palustre, Sphagnum russowii, Sphagnum squarrosum, Sphagnum subnitens, Sphagnum teres, Barbilophozia barbata, Chiloscyphus polyanthos, Diplophyllum albicans, Lophocolea bidentata, Plagiochila porelloides, Ptilidium ciliare, Scapania undulata, Cladonia squamosa, Peltigera canina, Angelica sylvestris, Caltha palustris, Hieraclium spp., Saussurea alpina, Solidago virgaurea, Campanula rotundifolia, Succisa pratensis, Valeriana officinalis, Rhodiola rosea, Vaccinium vitis-idaea, Thymus praecox, Epilobium anagallidifolium, Dactylorhiza viridis, Euphrasia officinalis, Rhinanthus minor, Oxalis acetosella, Oxyria digyna, Polygonum viviparum, Rumex acetosa, Anemone nemorosa, Ranunculus acris, Thalictrum alpinum, Alchemilla alpina, Alchemilla glabra, Filipendula ulmaria, Geum rivale, Galium boreale, Galium saxatile, Saxifraga aizoides, Saxifraga hypnoides, Saxifraga oppositifolia, Saxifraga stellaris, Viola riviniana, Agrostis canina, Agrostis capillaris, Anthoxanthum odoratum, Deschampsia cespitosa, Deschampsia flexuosa, Festuca ovina, Festuca rubra, Nardus stricta, Dryopteris dilatata, Phegopteris connectilis
W21 — Hedgerow scrub, Mixed scrub
Crataegus monogyna-Hedera helix scrub
Show 81 indicator speciesHedera helix, Salix cinerea, Acer pseudoplatanus, Ilex aquifolium, Betula pendula, Corylus avellana, Fagus sylvatica, Quercus robur, Fraxinus excelsior, Malus sylvestris, Sorbus aria, Taxus baccata, Ulmus glabra, Ulmus procera, Sambucus nigra, Viburnum lantana, Euonymus europaeus, Cornus sanguinea, Juniperus communis, Ligustrum vulgare, Clematis vitalba, Rhamnus cathartica, Crataegus laevigata, Crataegus monogyna, Prunus spinosa, Juncus effusus, Plagiomnium undulatum, Brachythecium rutabulum, Kindbergia praelonga, Rhynchostegium confertum, Tamus communis, Heracleum sphondylium, Torilis japonica, Arum maculatum, Arctium minus, Cirsium arvense, Lonicera periclymenum, Moehringia trinervia, Silene dioica, Stellaria graminea, Stellaria holostea, Stellaria media agg., Calystegia sepium, Mercurialis perennis, Geranium robertianum, Iris foetidissima, Glechoma hederacea, Lamium purpureum, Origanum vulgare, Stachys sylvatica, Teucrium scorodonia, Allium ursinum, Hyacinthoides non-scripta, Circaea lutetiana, Rumex sanguineus, Anemone nemorosa, Ranunculus repens, Fragaria vesca, Geum urbanum, Potentilla sterilis, Poterium sanguisorba, Rosa arvensis, Rosa canina, Rubia peregrina, Rubus fruticosus agg., Galium aparine, Urtica dioica, Viola riviniana, Anisantha sterilis, Arrhenatherum elatius, Brachypodium pinnatum, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Bromopsis erecta, Dactylis glomerata, Elytrigia repens, Holcus lanatus, Holcus mollis, Poa trivialis, Asplenium scolopendrium, Pteridium aquilinum, Dryopteris filix-mas
W22 — Hedgerow scrub, Mixed scrub
Prunus spinosa-Rubus fruticosus scrub
Show 49 indicator speciesHedera helix, Acer campestre, Corylus avellana, Ulex europaeus, Prunus spinosa, Plagiomnium undulatum, Brachythecium rutabulum, Eurhynchium striatum, Kindbergia praelonga, Thuidium tamariscinum, Atrichum undulatum, Lophocolea bidentata, Achillea millefolium, Cardamine flexuosa, Lonicera periclymenum, Moehringia trinervia, Silene dioica, Silene uniflora, Stellaria media agg., Mercurialis perennis, Geranium robertianum, Stachys sylvatica, Teucrium scorodonia, Hyacinthoides non-scripta, Oxalis acetosella, Digitalis purpurea, Plantago lanceolata, Veronica chamaedrys, Armeria maritima, Rumex acetosa, Filipendula ulmaria, Geum urbanum, Rosa canina, Rubus fruticosus agg., Rubus idaeus, Galium aparine, Urtica dioica, Viola riviniana, Agrostis capillaris, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Dactylis glomerata, Festuca rubra, Holcus lanatus, Holcus mollis, Poa trivialis, Asplenium scolopendrium, Pteridium aquilinum, Dryopteris borreri, Dryopteris filix-mas
W25 — Bracken scrub
Pteridium aquilinum-Rubus fruticosus underscrub
Show 53 indicator speciesHedera helix, Acer pseudoplatanus, Fagus sylvatica, Quercus robur, Fraxinus excelsior, Sambucus nigra, Ulex europaeus, Crataegus monogyna, Prunus spinosa, Luzula multiflora, Mnium hornum, Brachythecium rutabulum, Kindbergia praelonga, Angelica sylvestris, Conopodium majus, Heracleum sphondylium, Arum maculatum, Cirsium arvense, Lonicera periclymenum, Silene dioica, Stellaria holostea, Mercurialis perennis, Geranium robertianum, Glechoma hederacea, Teucrium scorodonia, Hyacinthoides non-scripta, Chamerion angustifolium, Circaea lutetiana, Digitalis purpurea, Rumex acetosa, Anemone nemorosa, Ficaria verna, Potentilla erecta, Rosa arvensis, Rosa canina, Rubus fruticosus agg., Rubus idaeus, Galium aparine, Galium mollugo sens.lat., Galium saxatile, Urtica dioica, Viola riviniana, Agrostis capillaris, Anthoxanthum odoratum, Arrhenatherum elatius, Dactylis glomerata, Festuca rubra, Holcus lanatus, Holcus mollis, Poa trivialis, Pteridium aquilinum, Dryopteris dilatata, Dryopteris filix-mas