A field guide to the solid geology of the Gower Peninsula

by Ted Nield

Gower, the UK’s first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, is a popular destination for geological field excursions because of the wide range of interesting and instructive geological and related geomorphological phenomena that are displayed within a relatively compact area. Sitting at the southern edge of the South Wales Coalfield, Gower rocks - consisting mainly of Devonian and Carboniferous sediments with (possible) Triassic and extensive Quaternary cover - are folded and faulted in a regionally consistent way. Its rocks and structures bear a distinctive relationship to topography, allowing students to establish for themselves through observation a clear sequence of events.

• • Introduction

  • Gower - A part of Earth History

  • The structure of Gower - five guided tours

    • • A stroll along the prom (Swansea Bay)

      • All that you survey (Cefn Bryn)

      • Caswell Bay

      • Three Cliffs Bay

      • Rhosili

  • Other sites of geological interest

  • Acknowledgements and suggested further reading

  • Glossary