Gower Peninsula—Coastal Diversity, Debated Pleistocene Impacts, Bedrock Structural Control and Long-Term Geomorphological Legacy

Abstract

Within its area of c. 180 km2, Gower Peninsula in south Wales has a rich and diverse array of geomorphological highlights that include past and present coastal landforms and processes, long-term geomorphological development, karst features, effects of Quaternary environmental changes including fossil beaches and platforms, and glacial and periglacial landforms and sediments. The coastline is renowned for its spectacular cliffs, caves, bays, beaches and dunes. The configuration and gross morphology of Gower owe most to bedrock geology and structure together with the enduring effects of planation. Its location near the margin of the last ice sheet has resulted in a wealth of accessible glacial and periglacial sediments and landforms that have intrigued researchers since the nineteenth century and kept Gower at the forefront of reconstructing ice-sheet behaviour and extent in western Britain. Karst features are mostly isolated except at the coast, where caves and marine karren are common.