Carmel Head
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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: Precambrian · Rock Type: Gneiss
Landscape processes: Coastal
Description
Description A great variety of geological features along this stretch of coastline makes the Carmel Head area one of the most interesting sections in North Wales. The ancient rocks of the Mona Complex have been pushed over younger rocks to form the famous "Carmel Head Thrust" -a subject which generated much argument in the 19th century until the important work of Charles Matley was published around 1900. Although the Carmel Head Thrust has been mapped right across Northern Anglesey, this site is the classic locality for viewing the thrust and as a result of this it is extremely popular with teaching parties. In addition the rocks further south show unusually complicated contortions ("folds") produced by the movement of the nearby thrust. Further south still, beyond Porth y Dyfn, an important fault (containing quartz veins once mined for copper) has moved up more Monian rocks which are well exposed along the cliff line. These exposures are of the coarse, crystalline rock-type known as 'gneiss' and are something of a rarity in North Wales, being only found in central Anglesey, North East Anglesey and here at Carmel Head. This locality provides the best exposures of these Precambrian gneisses, which are almost certainly the oldest rocks in Wales.