East Kirkton & Petershill Quarries

Leader: Gary Hoare

East Kirkton is an unusual deposit because it favoured the fossilisation of land animals rather than those that lived in the water. It has been the scene of some of the most exciting discoveries in Scottish paleontology, which Gary will tell us about.

Petershill Limestone was originally quarried for lime in the 18th century until the quarries were converted to reservoirs in the 19th century, before finally being drained in the 1980s. The site is an SSSI for its species-rich grassland, scrub and wetland, as well as for the geology. The limestone contains a rich fauna including the colonial coral Siphonodendron and the large brachiopod Gigantoproductus.

Leaving Molema Building at 9:00, returning at 18:00, travelling by coach