Great Tor (Three Cliffs Bay)
Also within
Geology & landscape
Geological Period: Carboniferous · Rock Type: Carboniferous Limestone, Limestone
Description
Description great Tor (Three Cliffs Bay) is of special scientific interest for its Carboniferous geology. The detail visible in many of the exposures is amongst the best in Britain and offers unrivalled opportunity for the study of limestone in general. The site is located on the Gower Peninsula approximately 12km west-south-west of Swansea. This site shows some of the finest sections in the Carboniferous Limestone of South Wales. Its strata span the Courceyan to Holkerian stages and show great variety of facies types. These were formed in settings ranging from deeper ramp (offshore) to shoal-water and subaerial, and covering (with the exception of Waulsortian reefs) practically all environments found in the Lower Carboniferous. The site contains the type-sections for the Penmaen Burrows Group, of Courceyan age. This is one of the most important sites in Wales and is of international importance for the interpretation of Lower Carboniferous environments and facies. Remarks: This site was identified by the former Nature Conservancy Council’s Geological Conservation Review, a national survey and evaluation of sites of geological and geomorphological interest. The site is described in the GCR volume entitled British Lower Carboniferous Stratigraphy (Cossey et al., 2004).