The Geodiversity of
Anglesey: Geosites
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What are Geosites?
Geological sites or geosites are places of
particular importance to the science of geology.
The importance may be in their research value, by
which we may better understand the workings of
Planet Earth, or in their ability to demonstrate
a particular geological feature or process,
thereby being of value in the training of the
next generation of geologists. Meanwhile others
can have a wider appeal, such as coastal sites
where children can discover the delight of
hunting for fossils. Geosites can be enormous,
involving many tens of miles of coastline - such
as Dorset's famous Jurassic Coast, or they may be
tiny, such as a single but nevertheless important
glacial erratic.
International Heritage Sites
Geosites are selected by a range of organisations
to fulfil a variety of purposes. The process
occurs mainly at three levels. Firstly, sites may
be selected at the international or world level.
For example, some geological sites are recognised
as World Heritage sites, while others may be
recognised at the European level as European
Geosites. Currently, Anglesey has one World
Heritage site, Beaumaris Castle, and although
none of its geological localities is yet formally
recognised at international level, there are
candidate sites.
GCR sites - geological SSSI
Secondly, sites have been selected at the
national, Great Britain, level by the Geological
Conservation Review (GCR), using geological
experts from all over the United Kingdom. These
are the very best sites in Britain for geological
and geomorphological research. In Britain there
are approximately 4,000 GCR sites, with about 450
of these being in Wales. It is the Countryside
Council for Wales' (CCW) responsibility to
designate GCR sites in Wales as Sites of Special
Scientific Interest (SSSI) and to notify
landowners and local planning authorities of the
presence of such sites on their land. Geological
SSSI are legally protected like their biological
counterparts.
RIGS - Regionally Important
Geodiversity Sites
Thirdly, sites are chosen at the local and
regional level. In Britain, this has been carried
out largely by RIGS (Regionally Important
Geodiversity Sites) Groups and Earth Heritage
Trusts. However, in some areas locally important
geological sites have been selected alongside
their biological counterparts as SINCs (Sites of
Interest for Nature Conservation). In Anglesey,
Gwynedd & Môn RIGS Group is selecting
geosites of regional and local value as part of a
wider RIGS survey of north and central Wales.
Whereas GCR sites are selected primarily for
their scientific and research value, RIGS may be
selected for historical, educational and
aesthetic reasons in addition to scientific
qualities. An important aspect of RIGS selection
is to represent the distinctiveness and character
of local/regional geodiversity.
Anglesey's RIGS have been selected by a wide
range of expert Earth Scientists co-ordinated by
Gwynedd & Môn RIGS Group and funded from the
Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund (ALSF) by the
Welsh Assembly Government. Unlike SSSI, RIGS are
not legally protected. Most planning authorities,
like Anglesey County Council, include RIGS in
their structure plans, placing them on
constraints registers and affording protection
through the planning process.
This page leads to a special section of the site,
in which some of Anglesey's Geosites are
described. Please click the button below to visit
our gazeteer of Anglesey's geological heritage.
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Above: South Stack
lighthouse sat on a headland of intensely folded
Precambrian sedimentary rocks - part of the Holy
Island Coast geological SSSI.
Photo:
Stewart Campbell.
Above: a
gabbro erratic, found during widening the A5
across Anglesey and now one of the many RIGS on
the island. Photo:
Stewart Campbell.
Above: at Din Lligwy, an
ancient Romano-British settlement was built on
and from a weathered pavement of Carboniferous
Limestone. The settlement covers an area of about
half an acre and has been dated to the 4th
century AD. The site includes the remains of 9
huts, two of which are circular. Remains of
hearths and the debris they contain indicate that
iron was smelted here. Photo: Stewart Campbell.
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