Tors

Excerpt

The word “tor,” Celtic in origin, is used generally in the British Isles to denote a rather tall rock column (Cunningham, 1968; Jackson, 1997). Linton (1955) was the first to propose it as a scientific term in describing the tors at Dartmoor, Devonshire, England, now considered the type area for the feature (Palmer and Neilson, 1962). Early hypotheses for the origin of tors invoked deep weathering along joint planes in granite, with subsequent removal of the loose material leaving exposed columns. Alternate possibilities outlined by Cunningham (1968) include differential erosion during scarp recession and relict subaerial prominences formed in the Tertiary. Since tors have been found worldwide, often in granite but also in other igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks, it is appropriate to consider Palmer and Neilson’s (1962) pronouncement that “It is not possible to offer a definition that will encompass the many landforms to which the name “tor” has been given.” With such wide distribution and varied lithology it is arguable that the most scenic among all of these are coastal tors, as can be seen in the Seychelles and Virgin Islands. …