British regional geology. South-West England / Региональная геология Британии. Юго-западная Англия

The area of south-west England described in this handbook (Fig. 1) embraces Cornwall, Devon, part of Somerset and the Scilly Isles; it is bounded by the Atlantic, the Bristol Channel and the English Channel, and to the east by an arbitrary line from the Parrett estuary to Charmouth. Nowhere in the peninsula is the sea more than 25 miles distant and the maritime climate is characterized by milder winters and cooler summers than obtain over much of Britain. However, the strong, predominantly westerly winds bring much rain, about 40 inches a year in low-lying inland areas and more than 80 inches on high Dartmoor, and the popular phrase ‘English Riviera’ can be applied with some justice only to south Cornwall and the Scillies.  <...>