About

About this websiteBeth

This website can be used as a guide to lots of interesting geological places across southwest England and is designed for students and / or geology enthusiasts or those who just want to learn more about the rocks under their feet. To start exploring, head to the interactive map to find places near you. Each site description has a map, a little bit of information about the rocks & minerals, how the geology came to be and a gallery. If you would like more information, references are provided.

If you would like to know more about the geological history of southwest England, you can start on the Variscan Orogeny or Cornubian Batholith pages. And if you’re just curious about a certain rock type, you can learn more about granites and lamprophyres, including what they are and how and why they form.

About the author

I’m Beth and I’m from Cornwall, southwest England. My PhD was on “high tech” metals in the granites of southwest England and I worked as a geoscientist in academia and industry for a few years. These days, I work in the humanitarian sector. When home, I occasionally work on projects relating to planning, cultural geography, art and natural resources – get in touch if this is of interest. My Twitter is @CornubianBeth

Can I use information from this website?

This website contains information collected from my PhD, some of which made it into the thesis and subsequent papers, as well as photos and notes from walks around southwest England in my spare time. Where information is from published work, this is referenced. Photos all belong to myself (unless stated otherwise), and can be used for educational purposes, but not for commercial use. If you want to use something from the website, and are unsure, get in touch!

Geoscience Papers, Reports and ChaptersGeoscience ConferencesCross disciplinary workHumanitarian

Note that several of the final paper edits are paywalled, the pre-prints are freely available. If you would like a copy of a final edited paper, please get in touch.

  • Shail R and Simons B, 2022. Le batholite de Cornouailles: granites et ressources post-collisionnels du varisque, Ressources Metalliques 1: Cadre géodynamique et exemples remarquables en Europe, ISTE, 139-216.
  • Sargeant, S and Simons B, 2021. Integrating Geoscience and Community Hazard Knowledge. In J Twigg and E Babister (eds) Roadmap for Research: A Collaborative Research Framework for Humanitarian Shelter & Settlements Assistance, Washington DC: Interaction, 151-158 [PDF].
  • Simons B and Sargeant S, 2020. Exploring linkages between geoscience and humanitarian shelter: workshop report (OR/20/45). British Geoogical Survey [PDF].
  • Sousa, R, Simons B, Bru K, Botelho de Sousa A, Rollinson GK, Andersen JCØ, Martin M, Machado Leite M. 2018. Use of mineral liberation quantitative data to assess separation efficiency in mineral processing – some case studies, Minerals Engineering 127, pp. 134-142. [Pre-print][Paywalled article]
  • Breiter K, Durisova J, Hrstka T, Korbelova Z, Vasinova Galiova M, Muller A, Simons B, Shail RK, Williamson BJ, Davies JA. 2018. The transition from granite to banded aplite-pegmatite sheet complexes: An example from Megiliggar Rocks, Tregonning topaz granite, Cornwall, Lithos 302-303, pp. 370-388. [Pre-print][Paywalled article]
  • Simons B, Andersen JCØ, Shail RK, Jenner FE. 2017. Fractionation of Li, Be, Ga, Nb, Ta, In, Sn, Sb, W and Bi in the peraluminous Early Permian Variscan granites of the Cornubian Batholith: precursor processes to magmatic-hydrothermal mineralisation, Lithos 278-281, pp 491-512. [Open Access article]
    • University press release [University of Exeter] / Geochemical news [link] / Phys.org [link]
    • …there was also an appearance of BBC radio to talk about this research…!
    • The paper became the number 1 downloaded paper for the journal in December 2017.
  • Breiter K, Muller A, Shail RK, Simons B. 2016. Composition of zircons from the Cornubian Batholith of SW England and comparison with zircons from other European Variscan rare-metal granites, Mineralogical Magazine 80 (7), pp 1273-1289. [Pre-print PDF][Paywalled article]
  • Simons B, Shail RK, Andersen JCØ. 2016. The petrogenesis of the Early Permian Variscan granites of the Cornubian Batholith: Lower plate post-collisional peraluminous magmatism in the Rhenohercynian Zone of SW England, Lithos 260, pp 76-94. [Pre-print PDF][Paywalled article]
    • The paper became the number 1 downloaded paper for the journal in September 2016.
  • Simons B PhD Thesis 2015: Processes controlling critical metal (Li, Be, Ga, Ge, Nb, Ta, In, Sn, Sb, W and Bi) distribution in the peraluminous granites of the Cornubian Batholith. Available from the British Library: [PDF]
  • Simons B, Pirrie D, Rollinson GK, Shail RK. 2011. Geochemical and mineralogical record of the impact of mining on the Teign Estuary, Devon, UK, Geoscience in Southwest England 12, pp. 339-350. [Open Access article].

  • Spruzeniece L, Simons B, Andersen JCØ, Rollinson GK, Ramos V, Noronha F. 2018. Petrology and geometallurgy of the Tabuaco scheelite deposit, Portugal,  IAGOD. International Association on the Genesis of Ore Deposits, Salta, Argentina.
  • Dolgopolova A, Seltmann R, Stanley CJ,Armstrong R, Noronha F, Ramos V, Guedes A, Simons B, Rollinson G, Andersen J, Reimar W. 2017.Mineralogical study of the Gonçalo Li-pegmatite deposit, Portugal, Conference: 8th International Symposium on Granite Pegmatites. [Poster]
  • Ramos V, Guedes A, Noronha F, Dolgopolova A, Seltmann R, Armstrong R, Simons B, Andersen J, Rollinson G. 2017. Sn mineralization in W skarns from ‘Douro Scheelite Belt’: the example of Tabuaco (Portugal), Conference: XII Congreso Nacional y XI Iberico de Geoquimica, pp. 24-28.
  • Simons B, Andersen JCØ, Rollinson GK, Armstrong R, Dolgopolova A, Seltmann R, Stanley C, Roscher M. 2017. Mineralogical variation of skarn ore from the Tellerhäuser deposit, Pöhla, Germany, EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts 19, 8577. [Online abstract]
  • Mineral Deposit Studies Group meetings:
    • Shail et al. 2017. The geological setting of the Hemerdon W–Sn deposit [PDF]
    • Simons et al. 2014. Fractionation of critical metals in the granites of SW England [PDF]
    • Simons et al. 2013. Distribution of critical metals in biotite and Li mica granite from Cornwall, UK [PDF]
  • Simons B, Andersen JCØ, Shail RK, Jenner FE. 2016. Controls on distribution of Sn-W and rare metals (Li, Be, In, Nb, Ta) in the peraluminous, post-collisional granites of the Cornubian Batholith, SW England. Recent Advances in Sn-W and rare metal deposit metallogenesis, Nancy, 2016. [PDF]
  • Simons B, Shail RK, Andersen JCØ. 2016. Sn-W and rare metals (In, Nb, Ta) in the Variscan lamprophyres of SW England: inheritance from a Gondwanan continental crust and mixing with felsic melts. Recent Advances in Sn-W and rare metal deposit metallogenesis, Nancy, 2016. [PDF]
  • Rollinson GK, LeBoutillier NG, Simons B, Yeomans C, Hughes, S. 2016. Trevalganite and Belowdanite – Hydrothermal replacement of granites in Cornwall? The Ussher Society 55th Annual Conference. [Poster]
  • Simons B, Andersen JCØ, Shail RK. 2013. Indium fractionation in the granites of SW England. Mineral Deposit Research for a High-Tech World: Proceedings of the 12th Biennial SGA Meeting, Uppsala, Sweden. [PDF]

  • Contributions to Kyra Norman’s Deep Time Moving movement-led work, 2023.
  • Granite information for BAFTA-award winning documentary maker Christopher Morris’ A Year in a Field, 2022.
  • Writing for Rosanna Martin’s Other Interesting Stones exhibition, 2021.
  • Water and Stone at CAST Cornwall, 2021: https://c-a-s-t.org.uk/event/water-and-stone/
  • Consultation on a mixed media art project exploring historical mining landscapes with textile artist Jo Polack.
  • Photography project about The Global Sand Crisis with photographer Josie Purcell: Harena Now.
  • Tracing Granite: In Search of a White Cross article with artist and quarryman David Paton, 2017: https://groundwork.art/tracing-granite/

  • B Simons, V Maynard and E Wagemann, 2021. Supporting the Recovery of Home-Based Enterprises. In J Twigg and E Babister (eds) Roadmap for Research: A Collaborative Research Framework for Humanitarian Shelter & Settlements Assistance, Washington DC: Interaction, 89-94 [PDF].
  •  Sargeant and B Simons, 2021. Integrating Geoscience and Community Hazard Knowledge. In J Twigg and E Babister (eds) Roadmap for Research: A Collaborative Research Framework for Humanitarian Shelter & Settlements Assistance, Washington DC: Interaction, 151-158 [PDF].
  • B Flinn, B Simons, S Webb, E Weinstein Sheffield, 2021. Defining a Good Home: Touching on the Intangible. In J Twigg and E Babister (eds) Roadmap for Research: A Collaborative Research Framework for Humanitarian Shelter & Settlements Assistance, Washington DC: Interaction, 105-112 [PDF].
  • B Simons and S Sargeant, 2020. Exploring linkages between geoscience and humanitarian shelter: workshop report (OR/20/45). British Geoogical Survey [PDF].
  • Contributions to: Webb et al, 2020. Towards Healthier Homes in Humanitarian Settings: Proceedings of the multi-sectoral shelter & health learning day 14th May 2020. [PDF]
  • Simons B, 2020. Improving our knowledge and practice on shelter self-recovery. CARE Insights Blogpost
  • Ethiopia Shelter & NFI Cluster Strategy 2019-21 [Online]
  • Simons B, 2019. Tropical Weather and the Humanitarian Response, Royal Meteorological Society Conference – Tropical Cyclones: From Science to Mitigation. [Link]
  • Contributions to: Ethiopia Country Profile, Shelter Cluster 2018 [Online]
  • ShelterBox Mexican earthquake update September 2017 (video).