Lizard and Start Complexes (Group A sites)

Abstract

This chapter presents some of the classic sites from the Lizard Complex of south Cornwall, illustrating various aspects of its ophiolitic character in the light of relatively recent work. It is one of the few good examples of preserved Variscan ocean crust in the Rhenohercynian zone of northern Europe; together with the adjacent mélange, it illustrates the development and subsequent closure of the Devonian Gramscatho Basin. The metavolcanic greenschists of the Start Complex are also included here as they have chemical characteristics that are comparable with the ophiolite and basaltic clasts in the mélange and thus contribute additional evidence for the local preservation of Variscan ocean crust. The localities of all the sites are shown on Figure 3.1.