Tebay Road Cuttings

Also within

Cumbria County LAKE DISTRICT National Park

Condition (Natural England)

Geology & landscape

Geological Feature: Gorge / Ravine · Geological Period: Silurian

Landscape processes: Fluvial

Description

Area, 10.37 hectares 25.62 ac Description The road cuttings in the Lune Gorge, four kilometres south of Tebay provide excellent exposures of rocks of late Silurian age, attributed to the late Gorstian to early Ludfordian Bannisdale slates. Siltstones and silty sandstones are affected by an impressive series of folds which characterise the late Silurian strata of the southern Lake District. The major downfold is known as the Bannisdale syncline. This is a large structure of regional extent formed by intense compressive stress generated during the Caledonian mountain building episode orogeny. These outcrops provide an excellent illustration of the characteristic features of the small and medium scale structures associated with the major syncline. Amongst the features displayed are nine folds with numerous associated structures such as cleavage planes closely spaced parallel fractures, complementary faulting and accommodation structures. The folds are open and quite simple in form, probably because of the competent nature of the sandstones here. However, the structure is more complex in detail, with numerous small scale features, including flat lying folds, low angle shear fractures, small angular folds kind bands which deform the cleavage and wrench faults. These rock outcrops provide an outstandingly clear illustration of the complex structures developed during the Caledonian Orogeny in this region.