Kynance Cove (part of the West Lizard SSSI)
Location and Access Information
Grid Reference: SW 695125, SW 671154, SW 685174
Kynance Cove is a well known beach and coastal cliff section at the tip of the Lizard Peninsula, 16km south of Helston, just to the east of the village of Lizard. The South-West Coast Path provides access along the cliff top and there is a well marked and trodden path down to the cove. Car parking is available and signposted off the A3083 at Kynance (National Trust). Kynance Cove is contained within the West Lizard SSSI.
View the site map on Nature on the Map
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Geological Interest
The rocks of the Lizard Peninsula form one of the most interesting suite of rocks in England. A Pre-Cambrian age (older than 600 million years) has been assigned to them, although their exact date is difficult to pin down. The southern half of the Peninsula comprises a complex array of metamorphic and igneous rocks including serpentinite, schist, gabbro and granite, which are faulted up against Devonian slates along a boundary running roughly between Mullion Island and Nare Point. The serpentinite rock represents the remnants of part of an ancient ocean floor into which the other igneous rocks were intruded. This whole complex was, due to movements of the plates of rock covering the Earth's surface, thrust up against continental rocks during the middle Devonian, resulting in the 'welding' of the ocean floor rocks onto the continental landmass.
The coastal cliff exposures at Kynance Cove provide one of the best and most famous exposures of the Lizard serpentinite, and the complex array of igneous and metamorphic rocks that form it. The rocks at this site were instrumental in determining the geological history of the Lizard and provided important evidence suggesting that the rocks originally formed part of the ocean floor.
The unique geology of the Lizard peninsula, particularly serpentinite, gives rise to a similarly unique range of heathland and wetland habitats that support many rare plants and invertebrates. These habitats can be seen along the cliff tops at Kynance.
