page_title: Cemaes
section_title: Geology
hierarchical_section_title: Cemaes / Geology
caption_attribution_description: English: Cemaes Beach
context_page_description: Cemaes is a village on the north coast of Anglesey in Wales, sited on Cemaes Bay, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty which is partly owned by the National Trust. It is the most northerly village in Wales. The name Cemaes derives from the Welsh word cemais, meaning "bend or loop in a river, inlet of sea, bay". In 2011 the population of Cemaes in Llanbadrig community was 1,357. The most northerly point in Wales, Ynys Badrig, is nearby.
  Cemaes is a fishing port and tourist resort, and is known for its beach. It has a sheltered natural harbour that looks north to the Irish Sea and is the site of an ancient settlement. Cemaes also has a wind farm and at nearby Wylfa is a nuclear power station. The river in the village is the River Wygyr, which flows from just below Parys Mountain to the sea at Cemaes. It is joined along the way by the Afon Meddanen on Carrog Farm, Carrog. The name Wygyr is Welsh and may mean "green wood" or perhaps 'where two rivers meet'.
  Since the Victorian era the picturesque character of Cemaes and the natural beauty of the island have attracted many artists and tourists. Lloyd George used to visit here.
context_section_description: The rocks exposed by coastal erosion in North Anglesey belong mainly to what geologists call the Mona Complex, which is among the oldest rock units seen in Wales. It underlies, and is therefore older than, the slates of the North Wales quarrying industry, but is probably not very much older in geological terms. Since the remains of fossilized remains have been found in the rocks, it does not pre-date the origins of life and is therefore probably about 600 million years old.
  The locality is well known to geologists following the enthusiastic description by Edward Greenly, in his pioneering book on the geology of Anglesey dated 1919: ‘a many coloured mélange that is really indescribable, and must therefore be seen in the field to be envisaged’.
caption: The beach at Cemaes
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