Stop 2

An imposing cliff of banded limestone with extremely polished cliff faces can be seen here. These striking surfaces developed because banded limestones and schists were once pushed against one another by unimaginable forces from inside the Earth – so-called endogenous forces. These displacement processes were responsible for the close proximity of these two tectonic units. However, only the impressive banded limestone can be seen today; the softer schists have been eroded away. The name ‘banded limestone’ refers to the alternating layers of different colours within the rock. This is caused by minerals contained within the limestone (e.g. green chlorite and mica). Few fossilised finds have indicated that the banded limestone was deposited in a sea some 380 million years ago during the Devonian Period. Younger rocks were formed on top of the limestone and the limestone underwent two mountain formation processes. The resulting pressure transformed the limestone into a coarse-grained marble. However, this is not reflected in its name.