Burnmouth, Scottish Borders

Leaders: Dr Katie Strang

The rocks exposed along the foreshore at Burnmouth in the Scottish Borders are early Carboniferous in age and belong to the Ballagan Formation. They were deposited in a low-lying vegetated coastal wetland around 350 million years ago, when Scotland as we know it was a very different place! During this time we were situated at low latitudes close to the equator and experienced a hot and humid climate. The area was subject to vast droughts and flooding, sea levels fluctuated and sandy river channels meandered across the land. It was in this setting that we also saw the first tetrapods (four-limbed animals with backbones) making their way on to the land. Originally these rocks were laid down on a relatively flat surface and they stayed this way until a period of significant tectonic activity and continental collision known as the Varsican orogeny, which happened around 200 million years ago. These intense tectonic forces caused the rocks at Burnmouth to be uplifted, tilted and faulted, eventually resulting in the striking near vertical orientation we will see on the shore today!

Meeting point: 8:30am outside the Molema Building, Lilibank Gardens, Glasgow.

Travel: By minibus.  Returning c 6:30pm

Cost:  Members £30, Non-members £35.  Booking required.

Activity Level: Moderate. Suitable for people with a moderate level of fitness. We will be walking on slippery rocks and a fair amount of scrambling will be involved