ABOUT THE CORNWALL RIGS GROUP

WHO ARE WE?

The Cornwall RIGS (Regionally Important Geological/Geomorphological Sites) Group, founded at a public meeting in 1991, is the geological arm of the Wildlife Trust, concerned with geology and geomorphology and is a voluntary body which aims to do three things:

Identify
Conserve
Raise awareness of Cornwall’s rich and diverse geological heritage

The Group is composed of geologists from industry, education, museums, geotourism and geological societies, along with representatives from planning authorities and bodies involved in conservation such as English Nature. To cover the county effectively there is a RIGS Group correspondent for each council district. The Cornwall Wildlife Trust provides the secretariat for the group through the Environmental Records Centre for Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly (ERCCIS).

The group raises awareness of geological site conservation issues through countywide links with English Nature, the National Trust, Cornwall County Council and the District Councils. The group is also a partner in the World Heritage Site bid, a member of the Derelict Land Advisory Group and a consultee on the Cornwall Minerals Local Plan, the County Council Structure Plan and District Local Plans.

WRITTEN IN STONE

The Group’s logo, the Cheesewring granite tor, symbolises the unique geology of Cornwall. It also highlights a long history of geoconservation in Cornwall. In the 19th Century there was an outcry when the adjacent quarry threatened to engulf the Cheesewring. As a result the landowners, the Duchy of Cornwall, restricted quarrying in the area. The boundaries of the legally restricted area were marked on the ground by fleur-de-lys cut into the granite and painted white. The tor and conservation symbol remain for all to see today.

HOW ARE SITES PROTECTED?

Cornwall has some of the richest and most varied geology in the British Isles and this, combined with its long coastline and complex mining history, means that it contains a relatively large number of sites worthy of conservation.

As with wildlife sites, geological and geomorphologic sites can be subject to a variety of natural and man made ‘threats’. Sites are always vulnerable to erosion and vegetation overgrowth, however land reclamation schemes, coastal defence schemes and green / brown field developments can devastate or even completely obliterate important exposures. The RIGS group offers protection to appropriate sites by designating them as County Geology Sites. Currently, the RIGS Group has approved 103 such sites on a list, which is continually reviewed and updated.

HOW ARE COUNTY GEOLOGY SITES (RIGS) CHOSEN?

The designation of a locality or landscape feature as a County Geology Site or ‘RIGS’ is a way of recognising and protecting a regionally important earth heritage site. A site can be proposed (and approved) on the basis of one or more of the following clearly defined and locally determined criteria:

Scientific importance
Historical significance
Educational value
Aesthetic value

A site can be proposed by anyone. The proposal should contain detailed information about the site along with evidence of its geological and / or geomorphologic significance. The proposal form can then be submitted to the RIGS group. A period of consultation ensues, fully involving the landowner. Once the proposal is approved, designation takes place. It is important to note that unlike Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI’s) County Geology Sites are not protected by law, however they are notified to local authorities and their status is taken into account during the planning process. Within Cornwall they are protected by conservation policies in the County Structure Plan, the six District Local Plans and the Minerals Local Plan County, Geology Site designation does not commit landowners to any increased site access or management. However the local RIGS Group welcomes the opportunity to work with landowners on the monitoring and maintenance of sites. If you are a landowner with an existing or potential County Geology Site on or near your land and wish to find out more please feel free to contact us. There are a number of geological features, (temporary exposures, submerged forests etc.) which do not merit SSSI or RIGS status, but are still of scientific value. The RIGS Group helps to gather data about these types of sites for inclusion in the ERCCIS data base.

ARE THERE ANY GEOLOGICAL NATURE RESERVES IN CORNWALL?

Two Geological Nature Reserves exist within Cornwall. These are sites that have been acquired by the RIGS Group through the Cornwall Wildlife Trust and are important for geological and biological reasons. They illustrate the close links that exist between the geology of an area and its wildlife habitats.

St Erth Pits were originally worked for moulding sand and fossiliferous clay that are Pliocene in age (around 2 million years old). The St Erth site is an SSSI. An information board about the site can be found on the wall of the Star Inn in the village of St Erth.

Tresayes Quarry (also known as ‘the Glass Mine’) is an old feldspar working in a pegmatite vein in the metamorphic aureole of the St Austell granite. The feldspar produced was used in the glass making industry,

EVENTS

One of the main aims of the Cornwall RIGS Group is to raise people’s awareness of Cornwall's geology. Members of the group provide guided walks and talks throughout the year. These and other geological activities are published in a twice yearly list of events.

How can you help?

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