Why Is Cornwall's Serpentine So Beautiful | Kennack Sands | Episode 6.

The rocks at Kennack Sands are beautiful but their story is even more incredible. This is serpentine, one of the distinctive rocks of the Lizard Peninsula. The striking white calcite veins create patterns that resemble the scales of a lizard, giving the peninsula its name. But these rocks formed far from the Cornwall we know today. They originated deep beneath an ancient ocean around 400 million years ago and were later preserved as part of the Lizard Complex ophiolite when that ocean closed. The rocks were subsequently buried and metamorphosed during the formation of the Variscan mountain range, before eventually being exposed at the surface. The Lizard is one of the world's remarkable places to see preserved oceanic crust and Kennack Sands is a spectacular place to experience it. Subscribe for more geology, landscapes and fascinating places across the UK:    / @downtoearthgeologist   #KennackSands #Serpentine #LizardPeninsula #CornwallGeology #Ophiolite #Geology #EarthScience