Folding at Broadhaven
Pembrokeshire, SW Wales
One of The Geological Society's 100 Great Geosites. Asymmetric folds in interbedded Carboniferous siltstones, shales and coal horizons are cut here by a number of northward-propagating thrusts. This classic structure has been studied in some detail (e.g. Williams and Chapman,1983) as it provides an excellent outcrop example to examine the interplay between faulting and folding during deformation.
Trevayne
Pembrokeshire, SW Wales
Large-scale harmonic fold within Carboniferous siltstones, shales and coal horizons. Close inspection of the fold core reveals several low offset thrust segments which probably formed to accommodate the relatively tight interlimb angle here. The cross-section below shows the transition in structural style between this location, Monkstone Point and Saundersfoot.
Trevayne
Pembrokeshire, SW Wales
Large-scale harmonic fold within Carboniferous siltstones, shales and coal horizons. Close inspection of the fold core reveals several low offset thrust segments which probably formed to accommodate the relatively tight interlimb angle here. The cross-section below shows the transition in structural style between this location, Monkstone Point and Saundersfoot.
Stackpole Syncline
Pembrokeshire, SW Wales
Carboniferous limestones folded and deformed during the Variscan Orogeny. This upright, upward-facing syncline shows a strongly developed cleavage in finer-grained layers. Have a look at the virtual outcrop: there are a number of small-offset thrust segments and the core of the fold is well exposed on the seaward side of the structure.
A sketch of this outcrop by Lady Murchison was included in Roderick Murchison's The Silurian System (1839). This fold was also used as the cover image for the Volume 1, Issue 1 of The Journal of Structural Geology. Stackpole also features as one of The Geological Society's 100 Great Geosites.
Lat: 51°47'11.73"N, Long: 5° 6'14.68"W
Virtual outcrop generated using Agisoft Photoscan from 220 aerial photographs acquired with a DJI Phantom 3. Processing, photos and text by Adam Cawood