LoveTravelEngland
  • 2019 Trip Blog
  • Our Hikes
  • Town

2016 Trip

The Lizard Peninsula

3/24/2016

0 Comments

 
I’ve always loved the words plate tectonics, though until now it’s been impossible to toss them casually into conversation as often as I’d like. But not so any more—because understanding the geological importance of the Lizard peninsula isn’t possible without discussing plate tectonics. As we'll be hiking the Lizard on our September 2016 trip, here’s my chance to use plate tectonics as often as I like. 
This is the Lizard peninsula. The yellow star is the farthest east we've walked on this coast. The orange box is where all the excitement listed below will happen.
Once upon a time about 390 million years ago, continental drift (another fine set of words) caused two tectonic plates to collide. Specifically, the  Normannian tectonic plate subducted* (had to look that one up) under the Laurasian plate. Probably it made a loud noise but we’ll never know. A bunch of things happened in that crash but there are two that are especially fascinating. 

The first involves Mohorovicic Discontinuity (or moho, at geology geek parties), which usually lies miles under the ocean and is pretty hard to get to. The Lizard is one of the few places on earth where moho is seen at the earth’s surface. And so of course we plan to stand on a bit of of Mohorovicic Discontinuity and feel special and priviliged and take a few photos to impress family and friends.  


​I looked up Mohorovicic Discontinuity so you don’t have to: The earth, as we learned long ago but may have since forgotten, has a core, a mantle, and an outer crust. The crust is made of different plates, the movement of which is called plate tectonics. When the Lizard plates collided, rocks that are normally found only in the earth’s mantle—especially Serpintinite—were thrust to the surface, mixing with rocks on the crust. This mixing of oceanic crust and mantle rocks is called ophiolite, a word which I will never use in any other conversation ever. The boundary between the crust and the mantle is known as the Mohorovicic Discontinuity. Whew. That was a lot of big words to say we’ll be stepping on a place where the earth’s crust and mantle meet. 

​The second fascinating thing about the Lizard is a rock called Serpentinite, which occur with dark grey rocks called gabbro and striped rocks called amphibolite along parts of the Lizard coast. Both red and green serpentinite can be found in a natural tunnel at Kynance Cove. (“Just past the cafe” says one geology site.) We will be seeking out this tunnel after stopping at the cafe. I will not illegally take rock, but I will hopefully be able to get some for my rock collection. This rock will enable me to have straight-faced conversations with friends and family and total strangers in line at the grocery store using words like Mohorovicic Discontinuity, plate tectonics, Serpintinite, and possibly, if I can work it in, subducted.

*In geology, subduction is the process that takes place at convergent boundaries by which one tectonic plate moves under another tectonic plate and sinks into the mantle as the plates converge. Regions where this process occurs are known as subduction zones. Copied from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subduction
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

Saturday 9/21

Land at Heathrow, train to paddington, train to Exeter, train to barnstaple, walk to The Old Vicarage—where we are staying until Thursday.
Have to remember how to read these boards.
Our room.
Love the bath!
First, tea in the garden.
After our tea we walk to the bus station to pick up bus schedules. Hop the 21 to Fremington, which is where we left off last time.
On the path.
Ha! Bob wants “he was a character” on his tombstone.
Fairly uninteresting walk, mostly along marshes.
Security idea for PP@L
We’re on an old railroad line, cute tunnels and all. This looks like a tunnel from the Thomas videos.
Our first pub. This is Instow.
My new favorite drink. It’s cucumber and elderberry and so good I have two. Which means we are finished for the day! We’ll complete this stretch of the walk tomorrow.
We order fish& chips takeaway rather than eating it in the pub because (a) it’s about half the price, and (b) fish & chips taste best outside! Check out the newspaper wrapping!
Not so healthy but it’s the first night and we’re on the coast where the fish is fresh, so.

Sunday, 9/22 Morning

Ate a marvelous breakfast, then walked straight out of Barnstaple to pick up the path heading northwest.
We fill out a little form the night before, choosing our breakfast time and meal items. Plus, there’s a sideboard of granolas, yogurt, fruit, etc.
View from our table.
Walking through Barnstable before hike.
The path. Heading first to Braunton.
The path is flat and fairly unremarkable. Sky is threatening.
We reach Braunton, almost pass right by this, then decide to stop for a short break.
Lovely inside, nicest people.

Sunday, 9/22 Afternoon

We walk Braunton to Saunton, intending to catch bus at Saunton, except I read Saturday’s bus schedule instead of Sunday’s because it’s so easy to do that and we soon find out there is no Sunday bus service in Saunton.
This Is looking back to Braunton. Path leads along this estuary. I think it’s an estuary.
Blackberry bushes are everywhere!
We’re right next to military training grounds.
Lunch break. Sandwiches. Forgot to pack dessert.
Ha! We see this sign as we close the gate after walking across the field.
It’s here that we realize that no bus will be coming. Luckily there’s a golf course right next to the path and we bum a ride to Braunton, which we know for sure has Sunday buses.

Saturday, 9/22 Evening

Our main goal on Sunday every time we come to England is it to make it to a Sunday Roast Dinner. Usually we miss it. Today though we are lucky: we find a good place in Braunton and end the walk on a full-belly note. Total miles today: 11.5.
Roast beef, potato, assorted fresh veggies, gravy, and Yorkshire pudding. Yum.
Waiting in the rain for the bus back to Barnstaple.
The Vicarage at last! We are both exhausted.
This waits for us every afternoon. That’s fresh cream on top.
Washed our clothes though not very thoroughly.
Choose breakfast and go to bed!
  • 2019 Trip Blog
  • Our Hikes
  • Town