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| Protected Sites |
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| Porthleven Cliffs East SSSI, Cornwall |
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| Porthleven Cliffs East SSSI, Cornwall,
is important for its structural and igneous geology. The rocks consist
mainly of Devonian sediments, which have been intruded by basaltic
sills when the sediments were still wet and unconsolidated. Subsequently,
the rocks have undergone folding and intense deformation during the
Variscan Orogeny. The structures in the rocks are important for understanding
the geological history of the region. |
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| In the late 1980s, the District Council
proposal for construction of coastal defences, to protect cliff-top
property, met with objections from English Nature, because a significant
part of the interest would be under threat. A compromise was reached
in 1993, when the council agreed to adopt a more strategic approach
to coastline management throughout the area. This case had an important
influence on the decision to implement shoreline management plans
nationally in the mid-1990s. |
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| Therefore, although much of the important
exposure at Porthleven is currently obscured, the case had an important
influence on the development of a more holistic approach to coastline
management throughout the country. |
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Coastal defences have concealed
important geological structures at Porthleven Cliffs East SSSI, Cornwall. |
| Photo: Mick Murphy, Natural England |
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