AbstractThe dolerite and basalt intrusions within the Lower Palaeozoic sequence of northwest Wales are largely restricted to the outcrop of Ordovician strata. Their distribution and close association with known volcano-tectonic structures were controlled by a tectonic framework of deep-seated fractures. In central and northern Snowdonia, volcanism during Caradoc times was related to the evolution of a fracture-controlled trough. An increase in the extensional stress across the trough with time is reflected in the progressive increase in basaltic magma movement during the volcanic cycle. The trough represents an attempted rift in the lithospheric plate, which failed to create an ocean basin and was subsequently aborted.