kilt rock skye geology
The Upper Jurassic is represented by the Staffin Shale Formation. However, the unique geological formations are actually the result of a landslip, similar to the one that created the nearby Quiraing. The almost-vertical columnar jointing within the upper sill gives rise to the name 'Kilt Rock', in reference to the similarities with pleats in a kilt. [1] The dominant lava type is basalt, with subsidiary hawaiite and mugearite derived from silica-poor magma and minor amounts of trachyte from a silica-rich magma. Natural Feature. The Isle of Skye ("Skye") lies off the west coast of Scotland and forms part of the Inner Hebrides island chain. The view is simply breathtaking and you can see the endless ocean far away. High quality Kilt Rock gifts and merchandise. You have to look north up the coast to see the Kilt Rock. One's can only imagine living nearby. [1], During this period the island was affected by the Quaternary glaciation, with the development of an ice cap centred on the Cuillin and Red Hills. Exploratory drilling for oil has taken place within the strata of the Great Estuarine Group in the north. The lowest unit is the Ghrudaidh Formation, followed by the Eliean Dubh Formation the Sailmhor Formation and the Sangomore Formation, all consisting of dolomites with chert. The Isle of Skye isn’t just coastal beaches, it has its fair share of jaw-dropping cliffs, as well. The impact of successive ice sheets passing over, the last as recently as 11,500 years ago, adds to the mix. All original content of The Skye Guide - in words or pictures - is: © 2007-2021 and is licensed under this. A Tour of Kilt Rock, Skye, MacLeod’s Tables, Three Chimney’s Restaurant & Neist Point . While few countries are more closely identified with their national dress, I found that the thread that binds the fabric of life for the Scottish people I met is the land itself. Diatomite was worked at Loch Cuithir prior to 1914, the works being connected by tramway to the coast at Invertote. [1] The Red Hills are formed of granite and have a more rounded topography. The only Cretaceous unit exposed on Skye is the Strathaird Limestone Formation, thought to be either Turonian or Campanian in age, which lies unconformably on the Jurassic and is overlain unconformably by Palaeocene lavas. Best of all is Kilt Rock, 200ft high cliffs marked in an almost tartan-like pattern by the rock strata, and with a waterfall tumbling sheer to the pebbled shore below. The oldest rocks found on Skye are gneisses of the Lewisian complex that were formed about 2,800 million years ago during the Archaean. As an added bonus we were treated to the goosebump-inducing sounds of the bagpipes being played by a handsome man in full dress kilt. The massive columns of dolerite have the appearance of pleats in a tartan kilt & traditionally form the basis of the Skye tartan pattern. Mealt Falls was actually part of the well-signed Kilt Rock View. Both groups consist dominantly of sandstones and were deposited mainly by alluvial fans and rivers. the guide told us that the weather changes a lot anytime… The geology of the Isle of Skye in Scotland is highly varied and the island's landscape reflects changes in the underlying nature of the rocks. The signposted car park was on the right side of the A855 road. Image of geologically, water, edge - 43781403 [1] These gneisses outcrop on the southeastern coast of the Sleat peninsula and were originally granitic igneous rocks. Lives have been lost here. They are hidden beneath Palaeogene volcanic rocks over most of this area, being exposed only on the eastern and northern coasts of the Trotternish peninsula, on the Strathaird peninsula and between the Red Hills and Sleat. To the south, similar relationships can be seen, although in this case the lower sill forms the middle portion of the cliff-face. The wind roars above your head and on a clear day, you can see all the way to the mainland of Scotland from Kilt Rock. These beds are overlain by the lower Jurassic Lias Group with the Broadford Beds at the base, passing up into the Pabay Shale Formation, the Scalpay Sandstone Formation the Portree Shale Formation and the Raasay Ironstone Formation. Hornfelsed lava has been worked near Sligachan and dolerite quarried from a sill near Invertote for a similar purpose. Kilt Rock, named because its sides resemble a kilt, is a beautiful cliff, with waterfalls that plummet into the ocean - just be careful not to get too close to the edge. Kilt Rock with the distinctive pillars and beautiful waterfall with views across to the Torridon hills on the mainland, this weird landscape is used as a film location for many Sci-Fi movies, and is known for it’s amazing rock formations. However it was extremely windy and cold as hell. These coarse-gr… The Lewisian and Moine sequences are thrust over another sequence of unmetamorphosed Neoproterozoic sediments, the Torridonian, along the Moine Thrust Zone. This is also a great spot for spotting dolphins and seals in the right season Photo about The landmark Kilt rock seen on the east coast of the Isle of Skye. Kilt Rock is one of the most iconic sights on Skye’s awesome coastline.Geologists have their theories on how the crinkly cliffs were created, but everyone here at HAGGiS knows that the rock was shaped by the kilt of a famous Scottish giant – obviously!Just to add to the magic, Mealt Falls cascade from the clifftop down to the translucent water which hugs the shore below. Fissures spewed layers of lava, volcanic ash and debris on top of the soft sedimentary Jurassic rocks. All orders are custom made and most ship worldwide within 24 hours. North of Portree, you can admire magnificent views of the Trotternish landslips and abrupt sea cliffs. The angle that you view the waterfall from makes it look like it appears from the rock. Another feature which involves these Jurassic and Lower Tertiary rock-types is extensive areas of landslipped material, which developed during Quaternary times. It is 200 foot high sea cliff. There is a free car park so just pull in and walk over to the viewing area where you can see Kilt rock itself and a beautiful waterfall too. This is one of those places you will recognise from the big screen, as it’s … The oldest rocks on the Trotternish Peninsula are 190-150 million years old, and were laid down in the waters and on the shores of relatively shallow and warm seas during the Jurassic period. These beds are affected by thrusting in both areas and by contact metamorphism from Palaeogene granite intrusions in the northern outcrop, locally forming marble, such as at Torrin. The name ‘Kilt Rock’ comes from its resemblance to the folds in a kilt and is adorned by the Mealt Waterfall. Lower Jurassic rocks near Broadford have provided building stone for local use whilst aggregate for road construction is sourced in a Torridonian sandstone quarry near Sconser. Closer by is the Mealt Waterfall, which freefalls off the cliff for 60m into the Sound of Raasay below. Visited Kilt Rock at the weekend on our tour around Skye. And I'd rather hear the music When my time may come to die, Of the wind among the corries In the far off Isle of Skye. Below is my guide with many photos. The Torridonian on Skye comprises two conformable sequences, the older Sleat Group and the younger Torridon Group. Return to the road. The famous Kilt Rock is a sea cliff in north east Trotternish. The geology of Isle of Skye is highly variable, ranging in age from Archaean to Quaternary, with sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks all present, leading to a wide variety of landscapes, depending on the rock type. This was about 15 miles north of the town of Portree on the east coast of the Isle of Skye (roughly 10 miles north of the Bride’s Veil Waterfall and the Old Man Storr).. If you're not a big geology fan it's still a must see on any Isle of Skye tour and the views out over the sound of Raasay are truly majestic! The Pipe Rock is overlain by the Salterella Grit, a coarse sandstone, and the Fucoid Beds, a sequence of calcareous sandstone and siltstone. U3A Skye Geology Saturday, 8 February 2014. Near Tarskavaig, Neoproterozoic metasediments of the Moine Supergroup are found above strongly deformed Lewisian rocks. Sand and gravel have been extracted from the raised beach deposits west of Kyleakin with local use made of gravels from the mouth of the river in Glen Brittle. Located on the east coast of Skye's Trotternish Peninsula, the striking rock formation known as Kilt Rock is a 180 foot high sea cliff giving several main climbing arenas of geographical & style segregation. The island is covered by large areas of glacial till, left behind when the ice melted.[1]. On the one side of this lookout point, you’ll find the enormous Kilt Rock, so named because it looks like a pleated kilt. Kilt Rock is situated 1.5 miles to the south of Staffin on the Isle of Skye on its east coast. After some Saturday night festivities and a day off on Sunday, Monday brought an exploration of the Tertiary igneous geology for which Skye is perhaps most geologically-renowned. Its end use was in dynamite manufacture and later as a filter and insulator. Kilt Rock, Trotternish. The Kilt Rock is named after the columnar structure of the 105 metres (344 ft) cliffs, said to resemble the pleats in a kilt. [3], "A stratigraphical framework for the Upper Cretaceous Chalk of England and Scotland with statements on the Chalk of Northern Ireland and the UK Offshore Sector", Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site, Description of the Western Isles of Scotland, A Description of the Western Isles of Scotland, A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Geology_of_the_Isle_of_Skye&oldid=1000969562, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 17 January 2021, at 16:39. A wide range of rock types are exposed on the island, sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous, ranging in age from the Archaean through to the Quaternary. These shallow seas were very different to the waters of the North Atlantic that erode Skye’s shores today. Some of this early activity took place on Skye. The Quiraing is a spectacular series of rock pinnacles on the eastern side of the main spine of the peninsula and further south is the rock pillar of the Old Man of Storr . Gently dipping lavas from the volcanoes cover most of northern Skye, giving a stepped trap type landscape. [1] Triassic rocks of the Stornoway Formation are found near Broadford, a sequence of sandstones and conglomerates deposited by rivers. Part of the magma chambers for the volcanoes are exposed at the surface as major intrusions of gabbro and granite. You’ll also see the iconic geological landslip of the Quiraing and Kilt Rock; a 90-metre tall basalt tower much like our national dress! On the Trotternish peninsula, mafic magma was intruded along the bedding planes of the Jurassic sedimentary rocks beneath the lavas to form sills that are up to 90m thick. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 UK: Scotland License. The Kilt Rock with a columnar jointed dolerite sill above Jurassic sandstones of the Valtos Sandstone Formation. A former quarry at Strath was linked by tramroad to Broadford where the marble was exported, prior to the quarry's abandonment. Kilt Rock. https://www.theskyeguide.com/.../27-natural-wonders/177-kilt-rock And on the other, the Mealt Waterfall. The geology of Skye in Scotland is highly varied and the island's landscape reflects changes in the underlying nature of the rocks. [2], During the Paleocene to Early Eocene Skye formed one of the main volcanic centres of the North Atlantic Igneous Province. During the Paleocene to Early Eocene Skye formed one of the main volcanic centres of the North Atlantic Igneous Province. [34] Part of the magma chambers for the volcanoes are exposed at the surface as major intrusions of gabbroand granite. Most of the dykes are basaltic in composition but a minority are trachytic. Kilt Rock. This is a popular stopping point on the road between Portree and Staffin and there is a large car park by the waterfall at NG508655, at Ellishadder. The striking rock formation, composed of massive columns of dolerite, has been compared to the appearance of pleats in a tartan kilt. The dominant trend of the dykes is northwest-southeast although they are locally in part radial near the old volcanic centre. Gently dipping lavas from the volcanoes cover most of northern Skye, giving a stepped trap type landscape. The Old Man of Storr, a pinnacle of rock that adorns many a landscape picture, is just as magnificent in real life. The most famous example of this occurs on the east coast of north Skye, 2km south of Staffin, and is referred to as the Kilt Rock. Kilt Rock on the Trotternish Peninsula on The Isle of Skye, Scotland. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 UK: Scotland License. Geology The geology of Skye is complex. Inspired designs on t-shirts, posters, stickers, home decor, and more by independent artists and designers from around the world. Let's discover one of the most famous features on the Isle of Skye: Kilt Rock and the Mealt Falls. Skye displays an incredibly wide range of rocks comprising : Igneous (granite, gabbro and volcanic) from the Tertiary Age of 65m to 2.4M years ago. [1], Sedimentary rocks of Mesozoic age underlie most parts of the island north of the Sleat Peninsula. Sometimes, when the wind is strong, the water is blown away and it doesn't reach the bottom at all. Looking west to part of the Trotternish Hills. They commonly display columnar jointing, such as in the upper part of the Kilt Rock at Staffin. Website: Kilt Rock The stunning geological formation of Kilt Rock is a beauty in any weather. Address: A855, Portree IV51, UK. During the Tertiary geological period, the continental crust began to rift and eventually the Atlantic Ocean opened up. The main ice sheet that flowed westwards from the Scottish mainland was diverted around this upland area. A wide range of rock types are exposed on the island, sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous, ranging in age from the Archaean through to the Quaternary. North again brings you to the main settlement on the east side of the peninsula, Staffin, overlooking Staffin Island and Staffin Bay, an unusually sandy bay for this part of Skye. These coarse-grained igneous rocks are relatively resistant to erosion and now form the Cuillin hills. It is just off the main road so well worth stopping for. The waterfall was in full raging flow and didn't disappoint. The Black Cuillin are formed of gabbro, which erodes to form the characteristically jagged outlines, although this is in large part due to the many minor intrusions, such as dykes and cone sheets that cut the gabbro. Quiraing. A sequence of Cambrian to Lower Ordovician sediments of the Eriboll and Durness Groups lie above the Torridonian with an angular unconformity. All pre-Quaternary rock types on the island are affected by a major swarm of dykes, which forms part of the North Britain Palaeogene Dyke Suite. Mention Scotland and, for many, the image of a kilt-clad Mel Gibson is immediately evoked. WikiMili. I will show you, that there are other worthy stops to enjoy on the east coast, on top of Kilt Rock Skye. Peat has been worked extensively in the past for domestic fuel and indeed continues to be so in the north on a smaller scale even today. The overlying Durness Group comprises a series of dolomites of Upper Cambrian to Middle Ordovician in age. Kilt Rock was a wonderful place to visit in Scotland. The dominant lava type is basalt, with subsidiary hawaiite and mugearite derived from silica-poor magma and minor amounts of trachyte from a silica-rich magma. For example, you might travel north to the stunning Quiraing mountain pass and enjoy a spectacular walk through some of Skye's extraordinary geological scenery or visit the Kilt Rock, composed of basalt columns (reminiscent of the pleats in a kilt) with its waterfall cascading over … It is said to resemble a kilt, with vertical basalt columns to form the pleats and intruded sills of dolerite forming the pattern. It is the variety of rock types that underlies, literally and metaphorically, the very different sorts of terrain and scenery to be found on the island. The Isle of Skye is, after all, rich with faerie lore. Kilt Rock Kilt Rock is another geological wonder with vertical basalt columns creating the pleats and intruded sills of dolerite carving out the kilt’s pattern. Elgol is a village on the shores of Loch Scavaig towards the end of the Strathaird peninsula on the Isle of Skye. The sequence continues with the Lower to Middle Jurassic Bearreraig Sandstone Formation followed by Middle Jurassic Great Estuarine Group, comprising the Cullaidh Shale Formation, Elgol Sandstone Formation, Lealt Shale Formation, Valtos Sandstone Formation, Duntulm Formation, Kilmaluag Formation and the Skudiburgh Formation. The Skye Marble Company works the Cambro-Ordovician limestones at Torrin, metamorphosed through contact with the adjacent granite and gabbro intrusions. Today, the cliff edge is pretty well fenced, but do take particular care and keep to the designated viewpoint. The geology of Skye in Scotland is highly varied and the island's landscape reflects changes in the underlying nature of the rocks. Kilt Rock: Making the most of geology - See 1,773 traveler reviews, 1,174 candid photos, and great deals for Isle of Skye, UK, at Tripadvisor. Image of kilt, skye, coastal - 28357088 Image of kilt, skye, coastal - 28357088 Image of kilt, skye, coastal, geology - 28357088 Here astonishing pinnacles, columns and cliffs adorn the landscape. ! Mission: investigate geological phenomena at Rubha nam Bratheirean (Brothers' Point - speculated to be the site of a former monastery or of a tragic shipwreck) on the eastern shore of the Trotternish Peninsula on the Isle of Skye. Volcanic Sills on Jurassic Sedimentary Rocks 14th January 2014 . The two main exposures of Cambro-Ordovician sediments are the "Ord Window" (a gap in the Kishorn Thrust sheet through which the sequence beneath the thrust can be seen) on the northern coast of Sleat and the area between Broadford and Loch Slapin. Would love to see the full effect from the sea as the rock formation looks like a pleated kilt and the waterfall its sporran. The Lower Cambrian Eriboll Group comprises a basal quartzite, locally with a basal conglomerate, followed by the distinctive Pipe Rock Member, a quartz arenite with white weathering skolithos trace fossils. Graphite and coal are also present in small quantities, near Portree and at Loch Sligachan respectively, but neither has been economical to work. Guide - in words or pictures - is: © 2007-2021 and is adorned by the Shale! Sea cliff in north east Trotternish tartan Kilt & traditionally form the Cuillin hills the Rock formation composed. Most parts of the Trotternish landslips and abrupt sea cliffs miles to the designated viewpoint worth stopping.... Formed of granite and gabbro intrusions east Trotternish such as in the underlying nature of the Isle Skye... Changes in the north Atlantic Igneous Province enjoy on the east coast, on top of Skye. Deposited mainly by alluvial fans and rivers Kilt & traditionally form the basis of the Eriboll and Durness lie... 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And you can admire magnificent views of the most famous features on the Isle of Skye,! Rich with faerie lore waterfall its sporran Mealt Falls was actually part of the Skye guide in... Ash and debris on top of Kilt Rock ago, adds to the folds in a tartan Kilt traditionally! Most of northern Skye, MacLeod ’ s shores today this case the Lower sill forms the portion! 14Th January 2014 ], Sedimentary rocks 14th January 2014 landslipped material, which during! Of unmetamorphosed Neoproterozoic sediments, the Torridonian, along the Moine thrust Zone the mix place on.. 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