Iona for work then Carsaig for play...
Posted: Wednesday, 09 May 2007 |
It was up early on Wed for the trip to Iona - work not pleasure. Anyway, on the way back, I thougt that Carsaig would make a good detour. I did a geology talk in the sle of Mull Hotel last night, and having spoken about Carsaig a couple of times, I felt the urge to go back!
Anyway,. heres Fionnphort, early in the morning, first ferry about to go:
However, it was after 5pm before I got to Carsaig. Weather wasnt quite so good, but still dry. And midgy.
Carsaig is a geologist's dream. There is stuff of interest absolutely everywhere. For those who have never been there, make it a priority for your next Mull trip. The scenery is spectacular. And the road has been improved as well!
I didnt have a lot of time, but parked the car near the old pier and headed east along the track towards Lochbuie. There are lots of good things to see. The pics below will give you an idea.
A sill cuts across the shales of the rocky shore. This whole area is criss crossed with dykes and sills.
In the same area, the casts of several ammonites are to be found:
That first one is a real beauty. The compass gives an idea of the scale - it is about 4" long. Note that this is just the cast - I wonder what happened to the ammonite itself - whose collection is it in?
Some of the flowers that are common here (thrift):
And some of the inhabitants:
Further on along the shore - the path is a bit boggy in places, so take care, there is a good view onto the shore and more dykes:
Two thin dykes on the shore can be seen , one cutting the other:
Here we see the side of an exposed dyke - the pattern of the joints as they are known, looks like squares. This is the same sort of thing that you get with basalt columns, except these are smaller. These patterns are quite common where dykes are exposed.
And finally, before heading back to the car, a pic of some fossil shells in the shales on the shore (try saying that quickly...)
The Carsaig are is very rich in fossils - many can be found simply lying loose on the shore.
That's all for this quick trip but I'll be back soon hopefully for a look at the other side, west from the old pier. A whole day I reckon. There's some good stuff there....
MM
PS: Many thanks to all who came along to the "Geology and Landscape" talk I did last night, The turnout was very encouraging. From what I gather, there has a been a good attendance at all the Wild Isles talks and lectures this year. Maybe see you again soon!
Anyway,. heres Fionnphort, early in the morning, first ferry about to go:
However, it was after 5pm before I got to Carsaig. Weather wasnt quite so good, but still dry. And midgy.
Carsaig is a geologist's dream. There is stuff of interest absolutely everywhere. For those who have never been there, make it a priority for your next Mull trip. The scenery is spectacular. And the road has been improved as well!
I didnt have a lot of time, but parked the car near the old pier and headed east along the track towards Lochbuie. There are lots of good things to see. The pics below will give you an idea.
A sill cuts across the shales of the rocky shore. This whole area is criss crossed with dykes and sills.
In the same area, the casts of several ammonites are to be found:
That first one is a real beauty. The compass gives an idea of the scale - it is about 4" long. Note that this is just the cast - I wonder what happened to the ammonite itself - whose collection is it in?
Some of the flowers that are common here (thrift):
And some of the inhabitants:
Further on along the shore - the path is a bit boggy in places, so take care, there is a good view onto the shore and more dykes:
Two thin dykes on the shore can be seen , one cutting the other:
Here we see the side of an exposed dyke - the pattern of the joints as they are known, looks like squares. This is the same sort of thing that you get with basalt columns, except these are smaller. These patterns are quite common where dykes are exposed.
And finally, before heading back to the car, a pic of some fossil shells in the shales on the shore (try saying that quickly...)
The Carsaig are is very rich in fossils - many can be found simply lying loose on the shore.
That's all for this quick trip but I'll be back soon hopefully for a look at the other side, west from the old pier. A whole day I reckon. There's some good stuff there....
MM
PS: Many thanks to all who came along to the "Geology and Landscape" talk I did last night, The turnout was very encouraging. From what I gather, there has a been a good attendance at all the Wild Isles talks and lectures this year. Maybe see you again soon!
Comments
James, I am running out of superlatives to describe your photos. Fantabulosa! The ammonites are fantastic, I think of them as being small things but these are monsters! Also, how close were you to the goats? They seem curiously unperturbed by your presence. Thanks again.
Jill from EK
what can i say that hasn't been said before-merci beaucoup!!
carol from sarkoland
Rock on mountainman! He sells fossil shells on the sea shale shore....
Flying Cat from In a fankle
Jill, yes those ammonites are pretty neat. Now if we could only find some dinosaur footprints, like they did in Skye a few years ago... Any Skye bloggers out there into this sort of thing? There is a web page at: http://heritage.scotsman.com/places.cfm?id=1930822005 that has some very good info. Carsaig is just one of those places that has a certain "something" about it. I love it. One of the first places I ever visited in Mull, 25 years ago. Still magical. Great aerial view of it here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/meg/874833/ One of the geological distinctives of the Carsaig area is the huge number of sills and dykes. Some of these sills have been found to contain sapphire. Sapphire from Mull, just think about that for a minute, tell me, how many women would NOT want to own a ring made of Scottish hand-panned gold with a Mull sapphire set in it? You see, geology CAN be romantic! Trouble is, none of it is REALLY gem quality... however, we can only dream. There WAS a gem quality sapphire discovered a few years ago in Lewis, so it might yet be found here. A sapphire from a dyke at Loch Roag in Lewis was valued at 拢60000 in 1995! Staggering! If ever it comes to pass, this blog is where it will be first reported..!
James (mountainman) from Tobermory
I started another Comment but it vanished, so apologies if it appears here twice. I am amazed by the idea of sapphires from Mull and Lewis, never heard of this before, and would definitely like one of those rings you mention... BTW, the websites you give are always worth a look. The hj currie one with the geodes is quite something.
Jill from EK
If anyone is interested, there are a few places on the web where you can find info about sapphires in Scotland. There is a good BGS pamphlet at: http://www.mineralsuk.com/britmin/gemstones.pdf which is full of interesting stuff. And there is another very nice page at: http://www.mineralatlas.com/mineral%20photos/C/corundumcp9.htm where you can see some amazing ruby from other countries. Ruby and Sapphire are the same mineral (Corundum) just slightly different colours. However as far as I know, ruby has never been found in Scotland.
James (MM) from Tobermory
Arran has Giant Millipeads footprints, the are past the fallen rocks between Corrie and Lochranza. Go to the Arran Heritage Museum for more info
Sunny from Arran
Hey Sunny, thanks for the info. Need to get back to Arran some time, I love it! Theres an amazing amount of geology there too. I work occasionally for Argyll College in Lochgilphead and on a clear day, the Arran peaks really stand out well from there. Ceum na Cailliche is really obvious. I notice that there is info on line at: http://www.arranmuseum.co.uk/the__arthropleura.htm These things were huge! Must admit, I hadnt heard of these, so thats another thing to have a look at whenever I manage to fit in a visit there.
Mountainman from Tobermory
I know that scottish gold has been used in jewellery in the past (I have my great grandmother's engagement ring which is scots gold and also Tay river pearls - frankly I'm terrified to wear it as I have no hope of replacing the pearls these days) but I'm not sure if enough is being produced these days ?
jas from under mia's paw
Oh! You were the one doing that talk! I saw it advertised in Tobermory. But I couldn't attend. I am glad I found your blog instead!
Sunila from Switzerland
My family business owns most of the remainder of the sapphire crystal from Loch Roag which produced the 9 carat, 拢60,000 stone now held by the Royal Museum of Scotland. These facetted stones are available ,set in some of our stocks of Scottish gold if you wish! It is possible to have a ring made entirely in Scotland, from materials sourced in Scotland...
Rob from Edinburgh
I gave my wife a 1 carat baguette-cut Loch Roag sapphire set in 100% pure Scottish gold ring some years back. It was made by David Milne, goldsmith, of Drumoak and is stunning. She also has Tay pearls on Scottish gold. All are worn and enjoyed regularly. Any idea on how many cut Loch Roag sapphires exist?
Chris from Aberdeen
Exploring the hills and coasts of Mull and Iona and occasionally elsewhere, with a close eye on the geology
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