4.

Variscan Orogenesis
4. Alpine Orogeny
3. North Atlantic Tertiary
Igneous Province (NATP)

2. Variscan Orogeny

1. Caledonian Orogeny
Old Red
Sandstone
Continent

Mid-Devonian ~400 Ma
Pangaea
Supercontinent

Pre-Cambrian
Carboniferous~~300
850 Ma
Ma
 Upper Carboniferous 300 MYA – Variscan Orogenesis

1. Intense Folding

3. Regional
Metamorphism
e.g. Delabole Slate,
e.g. Hartland Quay
North Cornwall

5. Ophiolites
e.g. Lizard Ophiolite
Complex 2. Batholiths
e.g. Dartmoor

4. Faulting
e.g. Lizard Thrust Fault
Gentle open folds, Broad Less intense, more irregular Recumbent folds, Millook Haven,
Haven, South Wales folds, Bude, Devon north Cornwall

South Wales Somerset Devon Cornwall

Lizard Thrust
Carboniferous
rocks

Granite
Batholith
Lizard Ophiolite
Complex

•Open, asymmetric folds •Complex folding •Very complex folding &

•Gentle folds extensive thrusting.
with steep southern limb & thrusting.
•2% shortening •65% shortening of crust
of crust •10% shortening of crust •50% shortening
of crust •Very strong cleavage
•No cleavage •No cleavage
•Good cleavage
Recumbent folds, Millook Haven, north Cornwall
Less intense, more irregular folds, Bude, Devon
Gentle open folds, Broad Haven, South Wales
 Plates Location Age Geological Igneous Rocks Metamorphic
Involved in Structures & Rocks
Britain Trends

Caledonian Faults:
Regional:
Granite
Avalonia Scottish Lower Moine Thrust batholiths:
Highlands Palaeozoic Belt e.g. Glencoul Dalradian schists
Laurentia Cairngorms
Lake 400 mya Thrust Ballachulish slates
District Great Glen Skiddaw
Easdale slates
North Folds: Shap
Llanberis slates
Wales
Tay Nappe Eskdale
Skiddaw slates
Anglesey
Shap Fell Ennerdale
Dynamic:
Harlech Dome Ophiolites –
Mylonite
Ballantrae
NE-SW trend

Variscan ORS Upper Faults: Granite

South Regional:
continent Wales Palaeozoic batholiths:
Lizard Thrust
Delabole slates
Gondwana 300 mya Dartmoor
Cornwall Folds:
Devon Millook Haven Bodmin Moor
Somerset Hartland Quay Land’s End

Broad Haven Scilly Isles

E-W trend
Europe SE Cenozoic Folds:
Alpine Africa England
40 mya North & South
Downs
E-W trend