Kingsand to Sandway Point
Also within
Cornwall County Cornwall Scenic Area King Charles Way - St Mawes to Cremyll National Trail
Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SX438507 | — | Favourable | 3.54 | 2010-01-22 |
| SX440509 | — | Favourable | 2.75 | 2010-01-22 |
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.
Geology & landscape
Geological Period: Permian · Rock Type: Rhyolite, Sandstone
Landscape processes: Coastal, Volcanic / Igneous
Description
Kingsand to Sandway Point SSSI Description The rock platform along the Kingsand beach section is the only exposure in south-west England of an extrusive (hot magma out-flow) rhyolite (silica rich volcanic rock) flow of Permian age. Its significance lies in the strong possibility that it is representative of suprabatholithic (on top of a batholith -sub-surface magma intrusion) volcanic activity after the emplacement of the Cornubian granites. In this connection it is the only in situ example of extensive early Permian volcanicity that is now largely seen as pebbles in the New Red Sandstone denudation products.