Niarbyl Fault - Niarbyl Beach, Isle of Man
Posted by: 
Mike_bjm
N 54° 09.820 W 004° 44.460
30U E 386331 N 6003131
The Niarbyl Fualt is on the west coast of the Isle of Man and marks the boundary of two ancient continents.
Waymark Code: WMV46F
Location: Isle of Man
Date Posted: 02/20/2017
Views: 6
A matter of metres north of the small car park at Niarbyl Beach it is possible to stand with each foot on rocks which have derived from different continents.
The rocks that form the coast south of Niarbyl are mostly dark grey mudstones ('slates') of the Manx Group. These rocks formed around 480 million years ago and originated from the ancient continent of Gondwana. Southern England and Africa were also part of this continent.
The rocks to the north of Niarbyl are sandstones belonging to the Dalby Group and derive from the ancient continent of Laurentia. Scotland and North America were also part of this continent.
The fault line where the sandstones have overridden the mudstones is a major geological fault representing the only remnant of the Lapetus Ocean which once separated the two ancient continents.
On the default photograph the Laurentian rocks are on the upper left and the rocks from Gondwana are on the lower right.
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