Excerpt from The Geology of the Country Around Mevagissey

The district to be described in the following pages includes only an area of about 36 square miles in South Cornwall, from the Dodman Point to within a few miles of St. Austell, and nearly to Grampound. Within it lie the small towns of Mevagissey and Tregoney, and the villages of Gorran, Veryan, Portloe, St. Ewe and Creed. The country may be described briefly as a tableland, seldom exceeding 300 feet in height, and much out into by deep valleys, which reach nearly to the sea - level. The Fal crosses diagonally its north-west corner, the St. Austell River traverses its north-east for about a mile. Other small streams rise within or just outside the area, each holding an independent course to the sea, their direction of drainage having been decided b the seaward slope of the lateau, which is so general in Cornwa l.

The coast is excee ingly rugged and rocky, but as a rule the cliffs, owino' to the seaward slope of the plateau, do not exceed 200 feet. There are two exceptions, however, for the Dodman Point rises seaward and ends in a bold headland and cliti' 375 feet in height, without outlying rocks, though it will be observed that the submarine contour su gests that the headland once extended a mile and a half further south. N are Head (which must not be confounded with the N are Point, near St. Anthony) is the other exception. It, like the Dodman, is separated from the plateau by low ground, and then rises seaward to a height of 331 feet, which corres ends with the height of the plateau several miles inland. Are Head also is continued seaward for about a mile, as is shown by the submarine contours but unlike the Dodman, on this submer ed ledge the hard greenstone still rises to the sea-level in severa dan erous reefs, and in one rocky islet which reaches 100 feet. Blac Head, the southern point of which just enters the northern margin of this area, practically belongs to the St. Austell district; it is a bold headland of greenstone.

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