The Iona Trip (Mull Geology Class)
Posted: Sunday, 15 April 2007 |
On Saturday, the 14th we had the Geology class field trip to Iona. This had been postponed in the past because of adverse weather, but this time the weather more than made up for it. Not particularly sunny, but warm and dry with a gentle wind. The light wasnt great for taking photos (see notes below) as it was very hazy, but apart from that, the weather was superb.
It was a very good day for observing all sorts of things, not just the rocks!
Hopefully you all enjoyed it - it was certainly a great day out - we didn't get to see as much as I had planned, but I am sure the other stuff can keep for another trip.
Actually, Iona is well worth visiting when the weather is wild - you see a completely different aspect of the island.
Remember the next field trip is to Scoor / Uisken /Ardalanish on the 28th. Dinner at Mediterranea will be in the evening, probably at 6pm. I will be emailing you all before then of course!
Stay tuned and thanks for being such a great class!
James
Here are some Iona geology pics (note these were taken about a fortnight ago, when I was planning out the trip, not on the day of the trip as the lighting wasnt very good)
Glacial erratic boulder of Ross of Mull granite sitting on top of Torridonian rocks of Iona
Lewisian Gneiss in Iona, with epidote veining (the green stuff)
Pebbles on the beach at Port na Curraich - St Columba's Bay
Port an Fhir-bhreige, west of Columba's Bay
Heart shaped xenolith in granite boulder at Port Ghoirtein Iar. Many of the granite boulders found on the south east of Iona have these xenoliths in them.
The Marble Quarry in Iona - looking inland from near the sea. Note the large blocks of quarried marble.
It was a very good day for observing all sorts of things, not just the rocks!
Hopefully you all enjoyed it - it was certainly a great day out - we didn't get to see as much as I had planned, but I am sure the other stuff can keep for another trip.
Actually, Iona is well worth visiting when the weather is wild - you see a completely different aspect of the island.
Remember the next field trip is to Scoor / Uisken /Ardalanish on the 28th. Dinner at Mediterranea will be in the evening, probably at 6pm. I will be emailing you all before then of course!
Stay tuned and thanks for being such a great class!
James
Here are some Iona geology pics (note these were taken about a fortnight ago, when I was planning out the trip, not on the day of the trip as the lighting wasnt very good)
Glacial erratic boulder of Ross of Mull granite sitting on top of Torridonian rocks of Iona
Lewisian Gneiss in Iona, with epidote veining (the green stuff)
Pebbles on the beach at Port na Curraich - St Columba's Bay
Port an Fhir-bhreige, west of Columba's Bay
Heart shaped xenolith in granite boulder at Port Ghoirtein Iar. Many of the granite boulders found on the south east of Iona have these xenoliths in them.
The Marble Quarry in Iona - looking inland from near the sea. Note the large blocks of quarried marble.
Comments
I have some (small) bits of Lewisian Gneiss in my garden that I collected. I read that it's the oldest rock in Europe, so it seemed a bit disrespectful to be using it as roadfill in Wester Ross :-) Great pictures, Mountainman. I am fascinated by the xenolith, it doesn't look at all natural!
Jill from EK
Thanks fro the comments Jill! Yes the Lewisian is very old - over 2000 million years old in fact. There are a lot of xenoliths in these granite boulders on the south east side of Iona - that particular one in the pic actually looks a bit like a leaf, the way that the hammer's shadow falls on it...
Mountainman from Tobermory, Mull
What a lovely page and very helpful to my project - I'm writing a book which includes a scene on Iona and I wanted to know what the rocks looked like. Thanks and kind reggards.
David from Bexhill, Sussex
Exploring the hills and coasts of Mull and Iona and occasionally elsewhere, with a close eye on the geology
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