ABSTRACT
Starting at Siccar Point, where Hutton derived the concept of deep time and unconformities, we move to Hutton’s Section in Edinburgh, where intrusion of molten rock was first recognized. We traverse glacial features at Dulnain Bridge in Cairngorms National Park, and then cross the Great Glen Fault, and visit the world-famous Devonian fish quarry at Achanarras. We examine the Moine Thrust and Caledonian Orogenic zone from Loch Ness to Durness, Loch Glencoul, and Knockan Crag. We see some of the oldest rocks in Europe in North West Highlands Global Geopark, and some of the most spectacular sea cliffs and young volcanics related to the opening of the Atlantic on the Isle of Skye. We pass through ancient volcanic centers at Glen Coe and Ardnamurchan, where the concept of caldera collapse was developed, all while moving through stunning glacier-carved glens and moors in Lochaber Global Geopark. We cross the Highland Boundary Fault in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, examine a petrified forest in Glasgow, and visit beach terraces at Ballantrae that rose as the Ice Age glaciers retreated. We examine the Southern Uplands Fault and cross the Irish Sea to the Giant’s Causeway World Heritage Site. The tour ends at turbidites along the coast between Monreith, Wigton Bay, and Southerness that were deformed during the Variscan Orogeny.
