Cornwall’s wide-ranging geodiversity (i.e. its variety of rocks, minerals, fossils, soils and landforms) is a valuable asset for educational, cultural and economic activities in the county. It is a fundamental component of the county’s geo-resources. It enables the story of the county’s geological history to be told and provides the vital information on which mineral exploration and past, present and future mining activities are based. Several aspects of Cornwall’s geodiversity include rocks that enable an understanding of ancient continental growth and mountain building, and the components of Earth’s Crust and Mantle. These and the diversity illustrated by the county’s economic minerals are of international importance. Cornwall is a ‘laboratory’ for understanding many processes involved in the formation of minerals of economic value, including metal ores of tin, copper, tungsten, zinc, lead, iron and lithium, plus kaolin (china clay). This has resulted in a large volume of past and current academic research centred on Cornwall. Innumerable study visits are made to the county by individual geoscientists, and numerous national and international field parties, including mining companies. In addition, Cornwall’s variety of inland and coastal landscapes and the overlying soils, some of which are unique in the UK and host unique biodiversity, reflect and complement that of the underlying strata.
Geoconservation is the practice of recognising, managing and protecting sites and landscapes containing examples of geodiversity. Cornwall contains a very large number of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), chosen for their important geological features, and nearly 130 designated County Geology Sites (CGS). Many SSSI and CGS are located in active or former areas of mineral extraction. On-going mineral exploration, mining and quarrying activities enhance geodiversity through providing new rock exposures and samples. The Cornwall Geoconservation Group is the only organisation in the County with a geoconservation remit. CGG was formed in 1991 within Cornwall Wildlife Trust and known as the RIGS Group.
CGG is now part of the Royal Geological Society of Cornwall (RGSC) and retains links to CWT through the Environmental Records Centre for Cornwall and Isles of Scilly (ERCCIS), which holds the data on County Geology Sites. The RGSC was founded in 1814. It is the second oldest geological society in the world and has the longest run of publications of any geological society. This reflects an on-going importance of Cornwall's geodiversity and the county's important contribution to geological knowledge and understanding Earth processes. RGSC has an active membership of professional and amateur geoscientists, engineers and others with interests in the natural environment. It hosts regular talks in person or on-line and field excursions in the County and elsewhere.
See: ROYAL GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF CORNWALL