Geology

Devon’s geology can be traced back over an amazing 400 million years, giving its landscape the rich diversity that can be seen today. The county even gives its name to a geological period –the Devonian Period.

Devon shares England’s first natural World Heritage Site –the Jurassic Coast. This outstanding site displays 185 million years of Earth’s history. The Tamar Valley, also a World Heritage Site, was rich in minerals such as copper, silver and tin, whilst the Sticklepath Fault, running from Bideford to Torbay, left deposits of clays and brown coal, which provided the wherewithal for an earthenware industry. Dartmoor’s landscape is characterised by its granite tors and craggy outcrops, which have been formed by erosion over 280 million years. Here there is also the remains of ancient lava eruptions such as Brent Tor.