The Stiperstones is a ridge that has formed because of the
relative resistance (hardness) of the Stiperstones quartzite compared to
the other rocks surrounding it. The rocks to the west and east (Mytton
Flags and Habberley Shales respectively) are much softer and therefore
have been differentially eroded to form the slopes and low ground to
either side of the ridge.
The ridge itself has been
shaped most recently by the action of ice and frost shattering (freeze
thaw) on the rock during the last ice age. This has created the tors that
line the top of the ridge that make this site so recognizable from the
surrounding countryside. |
