A new information board in Coverack will help visitors discover more about the land they are standing on - including why the area is one of the few places in the world where the ocean crust and the mantle are exposed on the earth’s surface.

The Coverack Information Point Committee (CIP) have replaced the geology information board at the bottom of the charity car park at the entrance to the village.

This was made possible thanks to donations from St Keverne Parish Council and Cornwall councillor Julian Rand, with the balance coming from CIP funds, meaning the project could be completed in time for the summer season.

The information board explains how Coverack Beach and surrounding coastline is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest, as well as the geological significance of the beach.

The original version proved to be popular focal point for visitors and locals alike since it was installed in 2008, as before then few people fully understood the importance of the area.

Coverack is one of the few places in the world where the ocean crust and the mantle are exposed on the earth’s surface.

The board explains that much of the Lizard Peninsula represents a slice of the ancient ocean floor to the earth’s surface, when two former continents collided.

At Coverack’s Mill Beach it is possible to actually see the 'moho' - the boundary between the earth’s crust and mantle - laid flat across the beach.

As people walk south across the beach they are travelling towards the centre of the earth, from gabbro (crust) through a transition zone (the moho ) to deeper peridotite (mantle), now altered to serpentine. Around 380 million years ago these rocks were about 5km below the ocean floor.

The was designed by Bill Scolding of Serpentine-Design with Parc Signs of St Austell providing the frame.