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| Kynance Cove (part of the West Lizard SSSI) |
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| Location and Access Information |
| Grid Reference - SW 695125, SW 671154, SW 685174 |
| Kynance Cove is a well known beach and coastal cliff section at the tip of the Lizard Peninsula, 16km south of Helston, just to the east of the village of Lizard. The South-West Coast Path provides access along the cliff top and there is a well marked and trodden path down to the cove. Car parking is available and signposted off the A3083 at Kynance (National Trust). Kynance Cove is contained within the West Lizard SSSI. |
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| Geological Interest |
The rocks of the Lizard Peninsula form one of
the most interesting suite of rocks in England. A Pre-Cambrian age (older
than 600 million years) has been assigned to them, although their exact date
is difficult to pin down. The southern half of the Peninsula comprises a
complex array of metamorphic and igneous rocks including serpentinite, schist,
gabbro and granite, which are faulted up against Devonian slates along a
boundary running roughly between Mullion Island and Nare Point. The serpentinite
rock represents the remnants of part of an ancient ocean floor into which the
other igneous rocks were intruded. This whole complex was, due to movements of
the plates of rock covering the Earth’s surface, thrust up against
continental rocks during the middle Devonian, resulting in the “welding”
of the ocean floor rocks onto the continental landmass.
The coastal cliff exposures at Kynance Cove provide one of the best and most famous exposures
of the Lizard serpentinite, and the complex array of igneous and metamorphic rocks that form it. The
rocks at this site were instrumental in determining the geological history of the Lizard and
provided important evidence suggesting that the rocks originally formed part of the ocean floor.
The unique geology of the Lizard peninsula, particularly serpentinite, gives rise to a similarly
unique range of heathland and wetland habitats that support many rare plants and invertebrates.
These habitats can be seen along the cliff tops at Kynance. |
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