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<< Our Photo Pages >> A55 Erratic - Natural Stone / Erratic / Other Natural Feature in Wales in Anglesey

Submitted by guile on Thursday, 06 May 2010  Page Views: 8536

Natural PlacesSite Name: A55 Erratic
Country: Wales
NOTE: This site is 1.1 km away from the location you searched for.

County: Anglesey Type: Natural Stone / Erratic / Other Natural Feature
Nearest Town: Holyhead  Nearest Village: Gwalchmai
Map Ref: SH3774475886
Latitude: 53.255104N  Longitude: 4.433703W
Condition:
5Perfect
4Almost Perfect
3Reasonable but with some damage
2Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site
1Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks
0No data.
-1Completely destroyed
5 Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
4 Access:
5Can be driven to, probably with disabled access
4Short walk on a footpath
3Requiring a bit more of a walk
2A long walk
1In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find
0No data.
5 Accuracy:
5co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates
4co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map
3co-ordinates scaled from a bad map
2co-ordinates of the nearest village
1co-ordinates of the nearest town
0no data
4

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I have visited· I would like to visit

cactus_chris visited on 29th Apr 2022 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 3 Access: 5 Drove along the A55 to see this it is in one of the laybys.

guile have visited here

A55 Erratic
A55 Erratic submitted by guile : The A55 Erratic, looks like a big smile. (Vote or comment on this photo)
This site comprises a large glacial erratic placed in a lay-by between Junction 5 and Junction 6 eastbound on the Anglesey A55. It was placed there to commemorate the completion of the dual carriageway in 2001. The site is of regional geological importance because the erratic consists of an unusual rock type probably derived from an offshore source, and because its location makes it the most accessible and easily studied of Anglesey’s major erratics.

During construction of the A55 dual carriageway across Anglesey, numerous large boulders were unearthed from the ‘superficial’ glacial deposits. These were temporarily stockpiled and then used largely as ‘fill’ for road construction. At the request of Gwynedd and Môn RIGS Group, one of the largest and geologically most significant boulders was placed permanently in a newly constructed lay-by.

The sub-rounded boulder, some 2.4m x 2.0m x 1.2m, has been well abraded, suggesting a considerable distance of glacial transport. A thin section shows it to be micro-dolerite, a medium-grained igneous rock. Although the boulder possibly came from one of the Tertiary dykes on Anglesey, it is thought more likely that it was derived from a massive Tertiary intrusion called the Fleetwood Dyke, located on the floor of the Irish Sea between the Isle of Man and the Fylde coast.

Although the exact source of the boulder has not yet been pinpointed, it is believed to have been deposited by the Irish Sea ice sheet that traversed the island broadly north-east to south-west, introducing materials from Scotland, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Lake District and from the floor of the Irish Sea Basin.

There were many such erratics stockpiled during the construction of the A55, this particular specimen won a very special contest, in that most of the other glacial erratics were crushed and lost forever beneath the A55.

With regard to the Cull of the A55 Erratics, there are other survivors. These are also displayed on the A55, one site is on the westbound side, and comprises several boulders attractively displayed on a slope but is not accessible to the public. The other is a single boulder lying near a lay-by on the eastbound side. Both sites are to be found between Junction 4 and Junction 5.

The unusual position and the undoubted primacy of this particular erratic make for a very interesting ambience.
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A55 Erratic
A55 Erratic submitted by guile : The A55 Erratic (Vote or comment on this photo)

A55 Erratic
A55 Erratic submitted by guile : The A55 erratic viewed looking south. (1 comment - Vote or comment on this photo)

A55 Erratic
A55 Erratic submitted by cactus_chris : Large Erratic stone by the side of the A55 (Vote or comment on this photo)

A55 Erratic
A55 Erratic submitted by guile : The solo erratic lying as if forgotten, on the eastbound side of the A55 by Junction 4. (1 comment - Vote or comment on this photo)

A55 Erratic
A55 Erratic submitted by guile : There is no access to the public to these 12 boulders. They are to be found on a steep bank near Bryngwran on the westbound side of the A55. (1 comment)

A55 Erratic
A55 Erratic submitted by guile : A55 Erratic plaque. (5 comments)

A55 Erratic
A55 Erratic submitted by guile : A55 Erratic looking west.

A55 Erratic
A55 Erratic submitted by guile : A55 erratic looking east.

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"A55 Erratic" | Login/Create an Account | 1 comment
  
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Re: A55 Erratic by guile on Friday, 07 May 2010
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