What is Geodiversity?
Geodiversity means the natural range (diversity)
of geological (rock), geomorphological (landform)
and soil features, assemblages, systems and
processes. It includes evidence of past life,
ecosystems and environments in the history of the
Earth as well as a range of atmospheric,
hydrological and biological processes currently
acting on rocks, landforms and soils.
More simply put, Geodiversity is the rich variety
of rocks, minerals, fossils, landforms, soils and
related processes that form our planet. It is the
stage upon which the drama of life unfolds.
Most people are aware of the term biodiversity
and understand the importance of conserving the
diverse wonders of our living world. Fewer
realise that Wales, like other parts of the
United Kingdom and elsewhere in the world, has an
equally important geodiversity - an outstanding
geo-heritage of rocks (geology) and landforms
(geomorphology).
Our Geological Heritage
This geo-heritage or geodiversity literally
provides a foundation for modern society and all
of our lives. It provides natural resources, such
as building stones and aggregates; it harbours
natural gas, oil and groundwaters; it forms the
basis of all our productive soils and
agricultural land; it gives rise to our
spectacular and cherished landscapes; provides a
massive archive of past climatic and
environmental conditions; and, without
geodiversity there is no biodiversity.
The rocks of Wales are as varied as the landscape
they produce, and our small country has few
rivals anywhere in the world with as rich a
geological heritage or geodiversity. Thus it was
to Wales that many of the pioneering geologists
came. Here, they named some of the divisions that
define the international geological timescale -
for example, the Cambrian, Ordovician and
Silurian periods, the last two named after Celtic
tribes. The rich geological legacy of Wales
continues to attract geologists from all over the
world.
It might seem to some that rocks are 'hard' and
'invulnerable' and that geodiversity hardly needs
active conservation. It might at first seem hard
to conceive of threats to rock formations and
landscapes that have endured for millennia.
However, the geodiversity of Wales is subject to
a range of damaging threats and activities -
quarrying, urban and rural development, land-fill
waste disposal, road building and coastal
protection to name but a few. Unlike
biodiversity, once an important rock sequence or
glacial landform has been destroyed, it can never
be re-created.
What's special about
Anglesey?
Anglesey has a unique and internationally
important geo-heritage. Arguably, it has the
greatest geodiversity for its size of anywhere in
Europe, possessing rock formations from most of
the major geological eras. Its Precambrian rocks
extend back beyond 600 million years ago and
contain the first evidence of life in Welsh
rocks. Anglesey has long been, and continues to
be, the focus of much interest, world-wide, by
research scientists and students alike. From this
outstanding geo-heritage, the island derives its
local and regional distinctiveness and character.
The Anglesey Geodiversity
Partnership
The first step in this project was to establish,
in 2004, a coalition of like-minded partners -
the Anglesey Geodiversity Partnership (AGP). This
broad-based partnership exists to establish a
long-term strategic framework for the
conservation and sustainable development of
Anglesey's outstanding geodiversity resources. It
also aims to promote the sustainable use of the
geodiversity resources, for education and
geotourism, for the social and economic benefit
of the island's inhabitants and those of
neighbouring areas.
Local Geodiversity Action
Plans (LGAPs)
Although government agencies and the voluntary
sector have achieved much, there is a growing
realisation that everyone has a role to play in
geoconservation. Local Geodiversity Action Plans
(LGAPs) recognise this by establishing broad
local partnerships with common aspirations for
geoconservation and the sustainable use of
geodiversity resources. This is logical because,
when considered as a resource, the geological
landscape affects the lives of everyone through
its influence on urban and rural development,
land utilisation, building practice and choice of
raw materials and through many other factors.
The first LGAP of its kind in Wales, the Anglesey
LGAP has six main objectives. The plan can be
summarised thus:
1. Ensure effective conservation of Anglesey's
unique and outstanding geodiversity;
2. establish an effective local partnership to
carry forward the objectives of the LGAP,
particularly the GeoMôn Project;
3. maximise the use of Anglesey's geodiversity
for the education of local children and visiting
schools, and other groups;
4. raise awareness of Anglesey's geo-heritage
with local people and visitors, to promote
sustainable geotourism, attract visitors to the
island and stimulate the local economy;
5. develop suitable policies and influence the
policies of other groups and organisations to
ensure effective geoconservation and sustainable
use of geo-resources for education and
geotourism.
6. to manage information efficiently to achieve
all the above.
About GeoMôn
GeoMôn is a major project to establish Anglesey
as an international 'Geopark'. Geoparks are
recognised and promoted by UNESCO (United Nations
Educational, Scientific & Cultural
Organisation) and the European Geoparks Network
(EGN). Any territory wishing to become a Geopark
must have a special geological heritage and be
able to use that heritage to promote sustainable
economic development through education and
'geotourism'.
The EGN was established in 2000 by France,
Germany, Spain and Greece, and there are now 24
European Geoparks, including, in Wales, Fforest
Fawr (Brecon Beacons). In 2004, a meeting of
international geoconservation experts in Paris
recommended that UNESCO should establish a Global
Network of Geoparks.
Operational guidelines were agreed, and any
European territory now wishing to become a member
of the UNESCO Global Network of Geoparks must
submit its application through the EGN.
As well as 'special geology', a Geopark must be
big enough for true territorial economic
development. It must contain geological sites
important for their scientific quality, rarity,
aesthetic appeal and educational value. There may
also be a smaller contribution from
archaeological, ecological, historical and
cultural sites.
The sites should be appropriately protected and
managed, and each Geopark must be administered by
a clearly defined structure able to enforce
protection, enhancement and sustainable
development policies. Each Geopark has an active
role in the economic development of its territory
through its special geoheritage resources and the
development of geotourism. A European Geopark has
direct impact on the territory by influencing its
inhabitants' living conditions and environment,
creating jobs and contributing to the cultural
revitalization of the region. A European Geopark
has also to support environmental education and
promote training and research in the Earth
Sciences. Successful applicants work with other
EGN members to further the network's construction
and cohesion.
Anglesey's case for a Geopark is based on
numerous attributes. Firstly, it has outstanding
geodiversity, a demonstrable niche geology (the
Precambrian) and is one of the finest places
anywhere to study plate tectonic processes and
features. Secondly, the island has a developing
tourism industry with an excellent infrastrusture
to and from the island and around its coast
through its magnificent coastal path. Access to
geodiversity is thus first rate. Thirdly, the
island has a largely rural population and is in
great need of economic regeneration.
About this website
This website will be an expanding resource on the
subject of geodiversity within the proposed
International Geopark - GeoMôn. As we develop
it, there will be regular news updates and
notices of forthcoming events (News & Events
link). The Geology section will contain a summary
of the Island's complex geological history,
stretching back over 600 million years or more.
The Geosites section will include particular
sites of interest, which are readily accessible,
complete with notes and illustrations. The
Educational Resources section will include
downloadable documents for teachers and students,
in order to help them either plan field trips or
interpret what they have seen during their visit.
The Conservation section explains conservation of
our Earth Heritage in more detail and the various
designations of conserved geological sites. In
the Geotourism section, there will be lots of
information for visitors including details of
available accommodation and travel options.
The Links page will build, reciprocally, with
other sites we hope! It will include links to
other key geological websites in the UK, Europe
and beyond, plus handy links to sites with useful
local information. The Contact page gives you
options to get in touch with us if you need any
more information, although we hope that these
pages will provide all you need on the subject of
Anglesey's geodiversity!Return
to the top of this page
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Around 8,000 years ago....
post-glacial raised beach, Ynys Llanddwyn. Raised
beaches are indicative of a former coastline
dating from a time when relative sea-levels were
higher. Photo: Stewart Campbell.
Around 20,000 years ago -
Irish Sea glacial till forming gullied cliffs
near Beaumaris. During the last glaciation, a
huge sheet of ice swept down the Irish Sea and
crossed Anglesey. This is the muddy and bouldery
debris it brought with it, much of it scraped
from the adjacent sea floor. Photo: Stewart
Campbell.
55 million years ago -
weathered basic dyke of Tertiary age, at Porth
Namarch. The early part of the Tertiary Period
saw major volcanic eruptions throughout NW
Britain. Dykes - thin sheets of solidified molten
rock filling steeply inclined fractures in the
Earth's crust - radiate out from the volcanic
centres and a few reached as far south as
Anglesey. Photo:
Stewart Campbell.
340 million years ago - a
now deeply fissured "pavement" of
Carboniferous Limestone at Moelfre. The limestone
is the "smoking gun" that tells us how,
during Lower Carboniferous times, Anglesey was
submerged by a tropical sea.
Photo: Stewart Campbell.
415 million years ago - red
sedimentary rocks - the "Old Red
Sandstone", exposed on the coast in Lligwy
Bay, recall the Devonian Period - a time when the
hills of Wales were eroded under hot, arid
conditions. The sediments were deposited in lakes
and rivers. The red colour is typical of
sediments deposited on land.
Photo: Stewart Campbell.
430 million years ago -
sedimentary and volcanic rocks, of Lower Silurian
age, have been intensively altered and
mineralised at Parys Mountain, once the greatest
copper mine in Europe. The mineralisation is
believed to have been "exhaled" onto
the sea-bed by hydrothermal fluid vents or
"black-smokers". During much of the
Lower Palaeozoic era (the Cambrian, Ordovician
and Silurian periods), Anglesey was underwater,
forming part of the margin of the Iapetus Ocean,
which at that time separated England and Wales
from Scotland. Photo:
Stewart Campbell.
600 million years ago - or more! The mysterious
Gwna Mélange - a chaotic deposit of boulders -
ranging from a few centimetres to over a
kilometre in size - belongs to the late
Precambrian, a time of great violence, when small
terranes were colliding together and large areas
of sea-bed were collapsing to form colossal
landslides down into deep oceanic trenches. The
Precambrian of Anglesey is world-famous, and has
attracted interest, research and controversy for
over a century. Photo: Stewart Campbell.
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