great britain has been subject to a variety of plate tectonic processes over a very extended period of time. changing latitude and sea levels have been important factors in the nature of sedimentary sequences, whilst successive continental collisions have affected its geological structure with major faulting and folding being a legacy of each orogeny (mountain-building period), often associated with volcanic activity and the metamorphism of existing rock sequences. as a result of this eventful geological history, the island shows a rich variety of landscapes.