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appreciate them too. them appreciate Climate change is not new ! new not is change Climate trail by hammering them as we want future generations to to generations future want we as them hammering by trail decomposed in a humid environment. environment. humid a in decomposed zone. Geology is a dynamic and ever-changing field of study. of field ever-changing and dynamic a is Geology zone. Please do not damage any of the rocks you see on this this on see you rocks the of any damage not do Please lagoons. Coal formed when fallen trees trees fallen when formed Coal lagoons. view of the nature and significance of the Highland Boundary Fault Fault Boundary Highland the of significance and nature the of view and the limestone formed in balmy balmy in formed limestone the and It is interesting that today the professionals are not united in one one in united not are professionals the today that interesting is It of discovery... discovery... of was much hotter than it is today today is it than hotter much was deposited in rivers when the climate climate the when rivers in deposited time interval between the formation of these two rocks. rocks. two these of formation the between interval time leaflet on a short journey journey short a on leaflet once were. The red sandstone was was sandstone red The were. once not adjacent to the Dalradian terrane. They only came together in the the in together came only They terrane. Dalradian the to adjacent not look quite like the sediments they they sediments the like quite look sediment was being deposited in the Midland Valley terrane, it was was it terrane, Valley Midland the in deposited being was sediment Follow the trail in this this in trail the Follow never been metamorphosed and still still and metamorphosed been never does not. Therefore many geologists believe that when the pebbly pebbly the when that believe geologists many Therefore not. does softer sedimentary rocks which have have which rocks sedimentary softer typical Highland rock called schist, however the older conglomerate conglomerate older the however schist, called rock Highland typical The Lowlands are made of much much of made are Lowlands The just a few miles away. The breccia contains many fragments of a a of fragments many contains breccia The away. miles few a just The Lowlands south of Balmaha of south Lowlands The these sediments having been carried by rivers from their source source their from rivers by carried been having sediments these You would expect to see fragments of Highland rock embedded in in embedded rock Highland of fragments see to expect would You Highlands are just the eroded stumps. stumps. eroded the just are Highlands even the Himalayas. Today’s Scottish Scottish Today’s Himalayas. the even form the new rocks. rocks. new the form been as high as the Alps are today or perhaps perhaps or today are Alps the as high as been UPLANDS rocks which had broken up and become embedded in sediment to to sediment in embedded become and up broken had which rocks SOUTHERN have suffered continuing erosion. They would originally have have originally would They erosion. continuing suffered have conglomerate and breccia. Both contain large fragments of older older of fragments large contain Both breccia. and conglomerate Southern Upland Fault Upland Southern the surface about 400 million years ago and since then they they then since and ago years million 400 about surface the On the trail you will be able to compare two rocks called called rocks two compare to able be will you trail the On Caledonian Mountains led to the rocks being uplifted back to to back uplifted being rocks the to led Mountains Caledonian What’s the evidence for terranes at Balmaha? at terranes for evidence the What’s eroded. The final episode in the formation of our own own our of formation the in episode final The eroded. LOWLANDS changes have stopped and the mountains are being actively actively being are mountains the and stopped have changes enigmatic. Himalayas. In older mountains, such as the Alps, these these Alps, the as such mountains, older In Himalayas. Highland Boundary Fault Boundary Highland after all three terranes came together. What lies beneath is still still is beneath lies What together. came terranes three all after mountain belts and are occurring today beneath the the beneath today occurring are and belts mountain Balmaha. It is covered by sedimentary rocks which were laid down down laid were which rocks sedimentary by covered is It Balmaha. These changes to sedimentary rocks occur deep within within deep occur rocks sedimentary to changes These ones. The Midland Valley terrane forms the Lowlands south of of south Lowlands the forms terrane Valley Midland The ones. fossils which are more like North American fossils than European European than fossils American North like more are which fossils changes its structure in this way is called ‘metamorphism’. ‘metamorphism’. called is way this in structure its changes a narrow band of rock just a few hundred metres wide. It contains contains It wide. metres hundred few a just rock of band narrow a HIGHLANDS limestone became marble. The process by which solid rock rock solid which by process The marble. became limestone of the northwest fringe of Europe! The Highland Border terrane is is terrane Border Highland The Europe! of fringe northwest the of into slate or schist, the sandstone became quartzite, and and quartzite, became sandstone the schist, or slate into then became attached to North America before finally becoming part part becoming finally before America North to attached became then minerals forming harder rocks. The mudstone turned turned mudstone The rocks. harder forming minerals forms the southern Highlands originated in western South America, America, South western in originated Highlands southern the forms the original minerals in the rock to recrystallise into new new into recrystallise to rock the in minerals original the Many geologists believe that the Dalradian terrane which today today which terrane Dalradian the that believe geologists Many kilometres. The heat and pressure at that depth caused caused depth that at pressure and heat The kilometres. forces and became buried to a depth of about 15 to 20 20 to 15 about of depth a to buried became and forces Andreas Fault in California. California. in Fault Andreas Later, the solid rock was squeezed and folded by tremendous tremendous by folded and squeezed was rock solid the Later, are occurring today in places such as Indonesia and along the San San the along and Indonesia as such places in today occurring are each year, about the speed your fingernails grow. Similar processes processes Similar grow. fingernails your speed the about year, each were compacted and slowly turned to rock. rock. to turned slowly and compacted were with each other. They move incredibly slowly, just a few centimetres centimetres few a just slowly, incredibly move They other. each with million years ago. As the sediment piled up, the lower layers layers lower the up, piled sediment the As ago. years million the surface of the planet, spreading apart, slipping past or colliding colliding or past slipping apart, spreading planet, the of surface the laid down as sediment at the bottom of the sea more than 600 600 than more sea the of bottom the at sediment as down laid Plates of the Earth’s crust, about 120 km thick, can move across across move can thick, km 120 about crust, Earth’s the of Plates The rocks which today form the Southern Highlands were were Highlands Southern the form today which rocks The (called terranes) joined together around 400 million years ago. ago. years million 400 around together joined terranes) (called animals or plants on land. on plants or animals The Highlands north of Balmaha of north Highlands The formed in different places and that three continental fragments fragments continental three that and places different in formed million years ago, long before the appearance of the first first the of appearance the before long ago, years million Many geologists believe that the Highland and Lowland blocks blocks Lowland and Highland the that believe geologists Many apart by faults. Many of these events happened over 600 600 over happened events these of Many faults. by apart way to the mountainous Highlands. mountainous the to way solid rock can be squeezed, folded, tilted upwards and split split and upwards tilted folded, squeezed, be can rock solid from end to end, the gently rolling Lowlands suddenly give give suddenly Lowlands rolling gently the end, to end from the Highland Boundary Fault. Fault. Boundary Highland the from different parts of the globe. You will discover how how discover will You globe. the of parts different from Bute to Stonehaven. Along the line of the fault, over 140 miles miles 140 over fault, the of line the Along Stonehaven. to Bute uplifted relative to the Lowlands due to vertical movements along along movements vertical to due Lowlands the to relative uplifted fragments of the Earth’s crust which have come together together come have which crust Earth’s the of fragments Boundary Fault stretches across Scotland from the Isle of of Isle the from Scotland across stretches Fault Boundary have been more resistant to erosion. The Highlands have also been been also have Highlands The erosion. to resistant more been have the shore of the loch. Here you can visit three different different three visit can you Here loch. the of shore the The difference in height is partly because the hard Highland rocks rocks Highland hard the because partly is height in difference The of rock have moved relative to each other.

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