Fleeing from the midges at the monastery, we made our way round the reefs at the SW corner of the Garvellachs...
...before turning NE up their exposed side.
The modern lighthouse is perched...
on the end of a line of dramatic tillite cliffs.
As we made our way below the lighthouse...
We became aware of the dramatic features of the Old Man of the Garvellachs, whose stony gaze was directed to the distant mountains of Mull..
Douglas, do you know which geologic period the tillite dates from? I always find this stuff interesting!
ReplyDeleteTony :-)
Hello Tony, my friend Clark Fenton, who is a fully card carrying geologist, informs me that the rocks are composed of a Precambrian age [approx 1 billion years old] tillite (a metamorphosed glacial boulder clay) that contains large blocks of marble. The marble is a dolomite (a magnesium rather than calcium rich limestone) that has been recrystallised by heat and pressure.
ReplyDeleteOne of the joys of paddling in Scotland is the way the geology changes over such short distances.
:o)