Geological Walk at Porthcawl – Geologists' Association

This is some additional information and pictures to support the geology walk at Porthcawl. Take a look at the descriptions under each picture to see more information

The Localities mentioned on this post relate to the map which is included in the leaflet PDF and is repeated here to make this page easier to read. For more information and descriptions of all the localities and the start point, parking etc. please see the leaflet

To download and print this walk, please open / download the PDF version here

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Locality 1 - Oxwich Head Limestone of carboniferous age

Locality 1 - details of the fossils these are brachiopods an ancient type of seashell

Locality 2 where the small fault cuts the limestone and gives these straight lines on the beach

Locality 4 the grassy area opposite the Seabank Hotel with the subarial erosion forming a limestone pavement as can be seen in more details in the picture below. The blocks are called clints and the gaps are called grykes and often get plants growing in them as they provide some shelter and often moisture at the bottom

Locality 4 limestone pavement type weathering

Locality 11 A deep gully eroded along a fault line

•BGS Geology Viewer is a free smartphone app to view geological maps of Britain wherever you go https://www.bgs.ac.uk/technologies/apps/igeology-app/

We hope you enjoyed this short tour of Porthcawl. If you’d like to learn more about our local geology, take a look at other pages on the South Wales Geologists’ Association website: www.swga.org.uk