The Geology of the Saltern Cove Area, Torbay

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Abstract
The small complex of Lower, Middle, and Upper Devonian rocks which occupies a mile by half a mile, immediately south of Paignton, lies between Goodrington and Broadsands. The sequence and structure are well seen in the cliffs and the railway-cutting, but farther inland there is a lack of good exposures. The topography of the area is influenced by the geology in a marked manner. The Massive Limestone forms the high ground on the south and south-east, ending in a steep escarpment. The igneous intrusion with the overthrust limestone forms a remarkably steep-sided, conical hill—the Sugar Loaf. The deep valley between the two hills has been cut in the soft shales and associated tuffs of Upper Devonian age. The locality is of special interest, since it was here that the Upper Devonian was first recognized in South Devon by Mr. J. E. Lee in 1877 (7). Since Lee's paper, nothing worthy of mention has been published concerning the beds, except that included in the map and memoir of the district by W. A. E. Ussher (16). Concerning the literature of the area prior to Lee's paper, there is little to mention. De La Beche in 1835 (2) mentions Saltern Cove, and records the occurrence there of altered limestone, shale, and trap. Etheridge in 1867 (4) suggested the probability of the presence of Upper Devonian near Newton Bushel. Holl in 1868 (5), if we may judge from his map, places the shales and the volcanic rocks in his Lower South Devon Group