Rocks and Relief of England and Wales

Abstract

This chapter explores the regional variations of the landscapes of England and Wales, and relates these to the characteristics of the rocks which underlie them. Britain can be divided into two parts along the Tees-Exe line. To the north and west are the old and generally more resistant rocks of Highland Britain. In general terms, igneous and metamorphic rocks are restricted to the north or west of the British Isles, while sedimentary rocks, dominate in the south and east. Undoubtedly, rock type is a fundamental control of landform type and in combination with an area’s geomorphological history and the story of deposition and erosion in the Pleistocene explain much of the rich diversity of the British Isles.