Ordovician (Caradog) Marginal Basin Volcanism in Snowdonia (North-west Wales)

After 19th-century controversy and an absence of 100 years, the work of remapping this area of Snowdonia was begun by the Geological Survey who gave special attention to the volcanic rocks of the Ordovician succession.

Using the stratigraphy established by the detailed 1:10,000 mapping as a basis, a major geochemical study of the volcanic rocks has been accomplished alongside multi-disciplinary studies of sedimentology, physical volcanology, palaeontology, structure and metamorphism.

The great age of this volcanic province, subsequent tectonic events, uplift and erosion have allowed the study to encompass all stages from its birth, through its maturity into its lingering death, in a way that is denied those analyzing younger activity.

This book represents an advance in our understanding of volcanic processes in marine environments, acidic ash-flow tuffs in subaerial and subaqueous settings, tectonic controls on volcanism and sedimentation and petrogenetic modelling.