In some areas the heat of these intusions metamorphosed some of the surrounding rocks. More limestone was deposited on top of all this. Eventually the area was uplifted out of the sea and the sub-tropical environment quickly began eroding the limestone. There is now little evidence of the original volcanic mountains, except for the scattered exposures of igneous rocks imbedded within the limestone. The karstic landscape that now dominates the region is a product of the dissolution of the limestone.
Detailed mapping is a virtual impossibility.
Movement through the area is difficult, and travel is limited to the valleys. A view along a typically narrow, steep-sided valley in the Headlands region. The subtropical climate erodes deeply into the limestone terrain producing high cliffs and numerous caves. Below ground, the dissolution of the limestones have resulted in the formation of uncountable cavern complexes of every size over the entire region. Many of these caves open up into the valley walls and cliffs, providing refuge for numerous creatures, both intelligent and unintelligent.