A tor is a rock outcrop formed by weathering, usually found on or near the summit of a hill. Bodmin Moor ( Cornish: Goen Bren) is a Granite Moorland in northeastern Cornwall, UK, 208 km² (80 sq mile in size dating In Geology, rock is a naturally occurring aggregate of Minerals and/or Mineraloids The Earth's outer solid layer the ‘ Lithosphere Weathering is the decomposition of earth rocks, Soils and their Minerals through direct contact with the planet's Atmosphere. In the South West of England, where the term originated, it is also a word used for the hills themselves – particularly the high points of Dartmoor in Devon and Bodmin Moor in Cornwall. South West England is one of the Regions of England. It is the largest such region in terms of area and extends from Gloucestershire and Wiltshire to Dartmoor is an area of Moorland in the centre of Devon, England. Devon is a large county in the South West of England. The county is also referred to as Devonshire, but that is an entirely unofficial name Bodmin Moor ( Cornish: Goen Bren) is a Granite Moorland in northeastern Cornwall, UK, 208 km² (80 sq mile in size dating Cornwall ( Kernow ˈkɛɹnɔʊ is the most southwesterly county of England, on the Peninsula that lies to the west of the River Tamar The word 'tor' is also used in southern Wales, particularly on the rocky coastlines such as the Vale of Glamorgan and the Gower peninsula; on the Gower one of the sandy beaches near Oxwich Bay is called "Tor Bay" because the beach is framed by a huge outcrop of carboniferous limestone. Geography It has been a County borough (unitary authority since 1996, previously being part of South Glamorgan county Oxwich Bay is a Bay on the south of the Gower peninsula, Wales. Carboniferous Limestone is a type of Limestone rock, which was laid down in Great Britain and Ireland in the Dinantian stage The term is notable for being, along with crag, one among a mere handful of Celtic loan-words (Cornish tor, Old Welsh twrr, Scots Gaelic tòrr), primarily of a geographic or topographical nature, to be borrowed into vernacular English prior to the modern era. The Celtic languages are descended from Proto-Celtic, or "Common Celtic" a branch of the greater Indo-European Language family. For the Cornish-English dialect see West Country dialects and List of Cornish dialect words. Old Welsh (Hen Gymraeg is the label attached to the Welsh language from the time it developed from the Brythonic language generally thought to be in the period Scottish Gaelic ( Gàidhlig) is a member of the Goidelic branch of Celtic languages. This origin of the word and the very fact it has survived hints at the places' special meaning to the gaelic peoples, often being centres of ritual and beliefs in the mystic and spiritual – a belief which in some cases carries on to today.
Contents |
Formation
Millions of years ago magma created deep-seated dome batholiths which over time were revealed to the atmosphere and allowed for weathering to break down their compositions forming tors. A batholith (from Greek bathos, depth + lithos, rock is a large emplacement of Igneous intrusive (also called plutonic rock that forms
Tors are composed usually of granite or metamorphic rocks. Granite (ˈɡrænɪt is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, Felsic, igneous rock. Metamorphic rock is the result of the transformation of an existing rock type the protolith, in a process called Metamorphism, which means "change Tors can also be found around any previously erupted volcanoes (although Devonian and Carboniferous outcrops are also found), though occasionally of other hard rocks such as quartzite, and are the result of millions of years of weathering. The Devonian is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic era spanning from to million years ago. The Carboniferous is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Devonian period about 359 Quartzite (from German Quarzit) not to be confused with the Mineral Quartz, is a hard Metamorphic rock which was originally Weathering is the decomposition of earth rocks, Soils and their Minerals through direct contact with the planet's Atmosphere. In prehistoric times, when the land was covered in forest, rain water seeped into the ground and gradually weathered the bedrock through its natural cracks, or joints. Once the land became exposed, the weathering was accelerated, particularly during the Ice age when freezing water expanded in the cracks. An ice age is a period of long-term reduction in the Temperature of the Earth 's surface and atmosphere resulting in an expansion of continental Ice sheets The result can be seen today in dramatic rock formations.
Weathering has also given rise to circular "rock basins'" formed by the accumulation of water and the repeated freezing and thawing – a fine example is to be found at Kes Tor.
As the weathering of the tors continues, the rock is broken down into ever smaller sizes. Many hillsides are covered with loose rocks, known as clitter, which have provided ready building materials for thousands of years. Eventually the granite is weathered down to a level equivalent to sandy gravel, known as growan, which consists of individual crystals. Gravel is rock that is of a specific Particle size range In Geology, gravel is any loose rock that is larger than two millimeters (2mm
The most distinctive granite landform in temperature countries is the tor and in tropical regions, the inselbergs. Both suggest the removal of material by solifluction and hence lead to the opinion that tors and inselbergs are relict features.
Tors on Dartmoor
Dartmoor represents one of the largest areas of exposed granite in the United Kingdom, covering an area of 241 square miles (625 square kilometres). The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located [1] It is part of a chain of granite stretching through Cornwall, as far as the Isles of Scilly.
Some of the more durable granite survived to form the rocky crowns of Dartmoor tors. One of the best known is at Haytor, on the eastern part of the moor, whose granite is of unusually fine quality and was quarried during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Haytor or Hay Tor is a Granite Tor on Dartmoor in the English County of Devon. The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar The twentieth century of the Common Era began on Its stone was used to construct the pillars outside the British Museum in London, and to build London Bridge (now in Arizona). The British Museum is a Museum of human history and culture in London. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. London Bridge is a Bridge between the City of London and Southwark in London, England, over the River Thames. The State of Arizona ( is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. The last granite to be quarried there was used to build Exeter War Memorial in 1919. Exeter ( (IPA ˈeksɪtər is a city, district and County town of Devon, England. Year 1919 ( MCMXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common
Ten Tors is an annual weekend hike on Dartmoor. Ten Tors is an annual weekend hike organised and run in early May for 2400 young people by the British Army on Dartmoor.
For a full list of Dartmoor's tors see List of Dartmoor tors and hills. This is a list of Tors and Hills on Dartmoor. Dartmoor is a National Park in South West England.
Other tors
- Black Tor, Derwent Edge (538m)
- Brent Tor
- Dovestone Tor, Derwent Edge (505m)
- Glastonbury Tor
- Great Tor, Bamford
- Howshaw Tor
- Ladybower Tor
- Low tor
- Mam Tor (517m)
- Shining Tor
- Over Owler Tor (375m)
- Higgar Tor (384m)
- Whinstone Lee Tor
- White Tor, Derwent Moors (487m)
- The Barns of Bynack, Granite tors on Bynack More in the Cairngorms
- The Salt Cellar, Gritstone tor on Derwent Edge in the Peak District
- Tor Heard, Long Whatton
- Angel Rocks north of Fairbanks, Alaska, USA
See also
- List of peaks of the Peak District
- The book Red Shift (novel) the Mow Cop Tor at the centre of its plot. Brent Tor is a Tor on the western edge of Dartmoor, approximately five miles (8 km north of Tavistock, rising to 1100' (330m above sea level Glastonbury Tor is a Hill at Glastonbury, Somerset, England, which features the roofless St Mam Tor is a 517 m (1696 ft high peak near Castleton in the High Peak of Derbyshire, England. Shining Tor is a hill in the Peak District of England, between the towns of Buxton and Macclesfield, lying on the border between Derbyshire Higger Tor is a Gritstone Tor in the Burbage Valley, in the Peak District of England |} Bynack More ( Scottish Gaelic: A' Bheithneag Mhòr or Beinn Bheithneag) is a Scottish Mountain that is situated in the Cairngorms The Cairngorms are a mountain range in the eastern Highlands of Scotland closely associated with the mountain of the same name - Cairn Gorm. Derwent Edge is a Millstone grit escarpment that lies above the Upper Derwent Valley in the Peak District National Park in the The Peak District is an upland area in central and northern England, lying mainly in northern Derbyshire, but also covering parts of Cheshire, Greater This is a list of the peaks of the Peak District of England. Most of these Hills lie within the Peak District National Park, but others Red Shift ( 1973) is a fantasy novel by Alan Garner. It spans over a thousand years but one geographical area Southern Cheshire, England
External links
Notes
- ^ Source: Dartmoor National Park