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St Abb’s Head

Sedimentary rocks of greywacke and siltstone formed between 460 and 410 million years ago and hard volcanic rock which formed around 400 million years ago. The different types of rock account for the contrast in colour and morphology between the rocks of the Head and those of mainland cliffs.

£40

Ballantrae Complex

The Ballantrae region is of international importance because of the presence there of the Ballantrae Complex, an association of serpentenite, chert and pillow lavas that represents an ophiolite. We will visit some of the interesting geological localities in this area.

£30

Northern Lake District

A walk of about 2.5 km up the Glenderaterra valley from the car park at the Blencathra Field Centre with 4-6 stops along the path, returning the same way. The main theme is contact metamorphism and mineralisation in the Skiddaw Slate around the Skiddaw Granite. Evening meal in Threlkeld.

£40

Dalry & Saltcoats

Trilobite-bearing limestone, exotic sills, dykes and fossilised trees.

£30

Anglesey

Anglesey's rocks provide a detailed record of the events leading to the formation of southern Britain. Formed between 650 & 300 Ma, they include high grade gneisses, a granite pluton, metasediments, sandstones, mudstones and the famous Anglesey Blueschists. There are also Paleogene dykes, abundant glacial features, a number of NE–SW faults and large sandstones blocks possibly marking the location of an ancient subduction zone.

Islay

This excursion has been cancelled because of the coronavirus outbreak. We hope to reschedule it for 2021.

Ardnamurchan

This excursion has been cancelled because of the coronavirus outbreak. We hope to reschedule it for 2021.

Islay

1800 Ma gneiss, Precambrian metasediments and fossil stromatolites, the famous Port Askaig Tillite (possible "Snowball Earth"?), low grade metamorphic Dalradian rocks retaining original sedimentary structures, reactivated and reversed extensional faults, substantial mineralisation, 60 Ma igneous intrusions (opening of the Atlantic Ocean) and a large selection of Quaternary Ice Age features.

Ardnamurchan

A journey through the magma chamber of an early Palaeogene volcano, with visits to significant localities of igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks

Charleston Lime Quarry

Outcrops of the Blackhall Limestone and disused quarries and, if time permits, a visit to the lime kilns on the foreshore.

£25