- "Tor" redirects here. For other uses, see Tor (disambiguation).
A tor is a type of rock outcrop formed by weathering, usually found on or near the summit of a hill. In the South West of England, where the term originated, it is also a word used for the hills themselves – particularly the high points of Dartmoor, in Devon, and Bodmin Moor, in Cornwall. The word Tor is also used across the Bristol Channel in southern Wales, particularly on the rocky coastlines such as the Vale of Glamorgan and the Gower Peninsula; on the Gower one of the sandy beaches near Oxwich Bay is called 'Tor Bay' because the beach is framed by a huge outcrop of carboniferous limestone. The term is notable for being, along with crag, one among a mere handful of Celtic loan-words (Old Welsh twrr, Scots Gaelic tòrr), primarily of a geographic or topographical nature, to be borrowed into vernacular English prior to the modern era. The Cheeswring, a granite tor on the southern edge of Bodmin Moor (Photo by Mick Knapton) Bodmin Moor is a granite moorland in northeastern Cornwall, England, 208 km² in size, dating from the Carboniferous period of geological history. ...
A tor is a high craggy hill. ...
Sedimentary, volcanic, plutonic, metamorphic rock types of North America. ...
Weathering is the process of disintegration of rocks, soils and their minerals through natural, chemical, and biological processes. ...
A hill in Hungary with a hillside vintage garden For the landform that extends less than 600 metres above the surrounding terrain and that is smaller than a mountain, see the mountain article. ...
South West England is one of the regions of England. ...
Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the United Kingdom (light green), with the Republic of Ireland (blue) to its west Languages English Capital London Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population –mid-2004...
This article or section seems not to be written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia entry. ...
Devon is a large county in South West England, bordering on Cornwall to the west, Dorset and Somerset to the east. ...
The Cheeswring, a granite tor on the southern edge of Bodmin Moor (Photo by Mick Knapton) Bodmin Moor is a granite moorland in northeastern Cornwall, England, 208 km² in size, dating from the Carboniferous period of geological history. ...
Cornwall (Cornish: Kernow) is a county at the extreme South-West of England on the peninsula that lies to the west of the River Tamar. ...
The location of the Bristol Channel The Severn Bridge and Bristol Channel, looking northwestward from England towards Wales The Bristol Channel coast at Ilfracombe, North Devon, looking west towards Lee Bay The Bristol Channel is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from South West...
For an explanation of often confusing terms such as Great Britain, Britain, United Kingdom, England and Wales and England, see British Isles (terminology). ...
For other uses, see Vale of Glamorgan (disambiguation). ...
Rhossili Beach on the Gower peninsula of South Wales The Gower peninsula (Welsh: Gŵyr) is one of the UKs major tourist attractions and is the best-known district in Wales after Snowdonia. ...
Oxwich Bay is a bay on the south of the Gower peninsula, Wales. ...
The Carboniferous is a major division of the geologic timescale that extends from the end of the Devonian period, about 359. ...
Limey shale overlaid by limestone. ...
The Abbey Craig, a crag with tail near The University of Stirling. ...
The Celtic languages are the languages descended from Proto-Celtic, or Common Celtic, spoken by ancient and modern Celts alike. ...
Old Welsh (Hen Gymraeg) is the label attached to the Welsh language from the time it developed from the Brythonic language, generally thought to be in the period between the middle of the 6th century and the middle of the 7th century, until the early 12th century when it developed...
Scottish Gaelic (GÃ idhlig) is a member of the Goidelic branch of Celtic languages. ...
Formation
Millions of years ago magma created deep-seated dome batholiths which over time were revealed to the atmosphere and allowed for weathering to break down its composition forming tors.
Tors are composed usually of granite, though occasionally of other hard rocks such as quartzite, and are the result of millions of years of weathering. In prehistoric times, when the land was covered in forest, rain water seeped into the ground and gradually weathered the bedrock through its natural cracks, or joints. Once the land became exposed, the weathering was accelerated, particularly during the Ice Age when freezing water expanded in the cracks. The result can be seen today in dramatic rock formations. Quarrying granite for the Mormon Temple, Utah Territory. ...
Quartzite Quartzite is a hard, metamorphic rock which was originally sandstone. ...
Weathering is the process of disintegration of rocks, soils and their minerals through natural, chemical, and biological processes. ...
Variations in CO2, temperature and dust from the Vostok ice core over the last 400 000 years For the animated movie, see Ice Age (movie). ...
Weathering has also given rise to circular ‘rock basins’, formed by the accumulation of water and the repeated freezing and thawing – a fine example is to be found at Kes Tor.
As the weathering of the tors continues, the rock is broken down into ever smaller sizes. Many hillsides are covered with loose rocks, known as clitter, which have provided ready building materials for thousands of years. Eventually the granite is weathered down to a level equivalent to sandy gravel – known as growan, which consists of individual crystals. Gravel being unloaded from a barge Gravel is rock that is of a certain grain size range. ...
Tors on Dartmoor Dartmoor represents one of the largest areas of exposed granite in the United Kingdom, covering an area of 241 square miles (625 square kilometres) (source: Dartmoor National Park). It is part of a chain of granite stretching through Cornwall, as far as the Isles of Scilly. Quarrying granite for the Mormon Temple, Utah Territory. ...
Cornwall (Cornish: Kernow) is a county at the extreme South-West of England on the peninsula that lies to the west of the River Tamar. ...
The Isles of Scilly (Cornish: Ynysek Syllan) form an archipelago of islands off the Cornish coast. ...
Some of the more durable granite survived to form the rocky crowns of Dartmoor tors. One of the best known is at Hay Tor, on the eastern part of the moor, whose granite is of unusually fine quality and was quarried during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Its stone was used to construct the pillars outside the British Museum in London, and to build London Bridge (now in Arizona). The last granite to be quarried there was used to build Exeter War Memorial in 1919. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...
(19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the...
The centre of the museum was redeveloped in 2000 to become the Great Court, with a tessellated glass roof by Foster and Partners surrounding the original Reading Room. ...
For other uses, see London (disambiguation). ...
London Bridge at 0800. ...
Official language(s) None Capital Phoenix Largest city Phoenix Area Ranked 6th - Total 113,998 sq. ...
The city of Exeter is the county town of Devon, in England, UK. It is located at , . In the 2001 census its population was recorded at 111,066. ...
1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...
Ten Tors is an annual weekend hike on Dartmoor. Ten Tors is an annual weekend hike organised and run in early May for 2,400 young people by the British Army on Dartmoor. ...
Highest tors on Dartmoor - High Willhays (621m) N.B. This is not a Tor, Just the highest point
- Yes Tor (619m)
- Hangingstone Hill (603m)
- Great Links Tor (586m)
- Kitty Tor (578m)
- Fur Tor (572m)
- Great Kneeset (567m)
- Higher Dunnagoat Tor (560m)
- Hunt Tor (560m)
- Cosdon Beacon (550m)
- Lower Dunnagoat Tor (550m)
- Dinger Tor (550m)
- Devils Tor (549m)
- Rough Tor (547m)
- West Mill Tor (541m)
- Flat Tor (540m)
- Chat Tor (540m)
- Green Tor (540m)
- Steng-a-Tor (540m)
High Willhays is the highest point on Dartmoor, Devon, at 2,039 feet (621 metres) above sea level, and the highest point in England and Wales south of the Brecon Beacons. ...
Other well-known Dartmoor tors Fox Tor is a relatively minor hill on Dartmoor, in the United Kingdom, but is best known for the swampy land that lies beneath it. ...
Hound Tor is one of the more impressive tors on Dartmoor, United Kingdom - a good example of a heavily weathered granite outcrop. ...
The Peak District is an upland area in central and northern England, mainly spanning Derbyshire, but also covering bits of Cheshire, Staffordshire and South and West Yorkshire. ...
Other tors Glastonbury Tor is a high teardrop-shaped hill at Glastonbury, Somerset, England, with its only standing architectural feature the roofless St Michaels Tower of the former church. ...
Mam Tor is a 517 m (1696 ft) high peak near Castleton in the High Peak of Derbyshire, England. ...
Shining Tor is a hill in the Peak District of England, between the towns of Buxton and Macclesfield, lying on the border between Derbyshire and Cheshire. ...
See also List of peaks of the Peak District A list of the peaks of the English Peak District. ...
|
Feeds |
Contact