COVER JOB No. 220032 (if applicable) n/a DATE 15/03/12/ COLOURS cmyk TEXT OPERATOR NS SCOTLAND 420x295mm ACCOUNT PROOF No. 1 SIZE folded to 1/3 A4 MANAGER generations to appreciate them too. them appreciate to generations this trail by hammering them as we want future future want we as them hammering by trail this Please do not damage any of the rocks you see on on see you rocks the of any damage not do Please field of study. of field environment. Climate change is not new! not is change Climate environment. Boundary Fault zone. Geology is a dynamic and ever-changing ever-changing and dynamic a is Geology zone. Fault Boundary humid a in decomposed trees fallen when in one view of the nature and significance of the Highland Highland the of significance and nature the of view one in of discovery... discovery... of formed in balmy lagoons. Coal formed formed Coal lagoons. balmy in formed It is interesting that today the professionals are not united united not are professionals the today that interesting is It hotter than it is today and the limestone limestone the and today is it than hotter leaflet on a short journey journey short a on leaflet in rivers when the climate was much much was climate the when rivers in interval between the formation of these two rocks. rocks. two these of formation the between interval were. The red sandstone was deposited deposited was sandstone red The were. Dalradian terrane. They only came together in the time time the in together came only They terrane. Dalradian Follow the trail in this this in trail the Follow once they sediments the like quite in the Midland Valley terrane, it was not adjacent to the the to adjacent not was it terrane, Valley Midland the in look still and metamorphosed been believe that when the pebbly sediment was being deposited deposited being was sediment pebbly the when that believe never have which rocks sedimentary the older conglomerate does not. Therefore many geologists geologists many Therefore not. does conglomerate older the softer much of made are Lowlands The fragments of a typical Highland rock called schist, however however schist, called rock Highland typical a of fragments source just a few miles away. The breccia contains many many contains breccia The away. miles few a just source The Lowlands south of Balmaha of south Lowlands The in these sediments having been carried by rivers from their their from rivers by carried been having sediments these in just the eroded stumps. stumps. eroded the just embedded rock Highland of fragments see to expect would You UPLANDS perhaps even the Himalayas. Today’s Scottish Highlands are are Highlands Scottish Today’s Himalayas. the even perhaps SOUTHERN would originally have been as high as the Alps are today or or today are Alps the as high as been have originally would sediment to form the new rocks. rocks. new the form to sediment Southern Upland Fault Upland Southern and since then they have suffered continuing erosion. They They erosion. continuing suffered have they then since and older rocks which had broken up and become embedded in in embedded become and up broken had which rocks older being uplifted back to the surface about 400 million years ago ago years million 400 about surface the to back uplifted being conglomerate and breccia. Both contain large fragments of of fragments large contain Both breccia. and conglomerate the formation of our own Caledonian Mountains led to the rocks rocks the to led Mountains Caledonian own our of formation 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 LOWLANDS the mountains are being actively eroded. The final episode in in episode final The eroded. actively being are mountains the What’s the evidence for terranes at Balmaha? at terranes for evidence the What’s Highland Boundary Fault Boundary Highland mountains, such as the Alps, these changes have stopped and and stopped have changes these Alps, the as such mountains, belts and are occurring today beneath the Himalayas. In older older In Himalayas. the beneath today occurring are and belts terranes came together. What lies beneath is still enigmatic. still is beneath lies What together. came terranes mountain within deep occur rocks sedimentary to changes These by sedimentary rocks which were laid down after all three three all after down laid were which rocks sedimentary by terrane forms the Lowlands south of Balmaha. It is covered covered is It Balmaha. of south Lowlands the forms terrane ‘metamorphism’. ‘metamorphism’. American fossils than European ones. The Midland Valley Valley Midland The ones. European than fossils American HIGHLANDS by which solid rock changes its structure in this way is called called is way this in structure its changes rock solid which by metres wide. It contains fossils which are more like North North like more are which fossils contains It wide. metres became quartzite, and limestone became marble. The process process The marble. became limestone and quartzite, became Border terrane is a narrow band of rock just a few hundred hundred few a just rock of band narrow a is terrane Border rocks. The mudstone turned into slate or schist, the sandstone sandstone the schist, or slate into turned mudstone The rocks. Highland The Europe! of fringe northwest the of part becoming in the rock to recrystallise into new minerals forming harder harder forming minerals new into recrystallise to rock the in America, then became attached to North America before finally before America North to attached became then America, minerals original the caused depth that at pressure and heat The forms the southern Highlands originated in western South South western in originated Highlands southern the forms kilometres. 20 to 15 about of depth a to buried became and forces today which terrane Dalradian the that believe geologists Many Later, the solid rock was squeezed and folded by tremendous tremendous by folded and squeezed was rock solid the Later, as Indonesia and along the San Andreas Fault in California. California. in Fault Andreas San the along and Indonesia as were compacted and slowly turned to rock. rock. to turned slowly and compacted were such places in today occurring are processes Similar grow. million years ago. As the sediment piled up, the lower layers layers lower the up, piled sediment the As ago. years million a few centimetres each year, about the speed your fingernails fingernails your speed the about year, each centimetres few a down as sediment at the bottom of the sea more than 600 600 than more sea the of bottom the at sediment as down just slowly, incredibly move They other. each with colliding laid were Highlands Southern the form today which rocks The the surface of the planet, spreading apart, slipping past or or past slipping apart, spreading planet, the of surface the the appearance of the first animals or plants on land. on plants or animals first the of appearance the across move can thick, km 120 about crust, Earth’s the of Plates The Highlands north of Balmaha of north Highlands The before long ago, years million 600 over happened events ago. years million 400 around together joined terranes) (called tilted upwards and split apart by faults. Many of these these of Many faults. by apart split and upwards tilted mountainous Highlands. mountainous fragments continental three that and places different in formed will discover how solid rock can be squeezed, folded, folded, squeezed, be can rock solid how discover will to end, the gently rolling Lowlands suddenly give way to the the to way give suddenly Lowlands rolling gently the end, to blocks Lowland and Highland the that believe geologists Many come together from different parts of the globe. You You globe. the of parts different from together come Stonehaven. Along the line of the fault, over 140 miles from end end from miles 140 over fault, the of line the Along Stonehaven. different fragments of the Earth’s crust which have have which crust Earth’s the of fragments different Fault stretches across Scotland from the Isle of Bute to to Bute of Isle the from Scotland across stretches Fault vertical movements along the Highland Boundary Fault. Fault. Boundary Highland the along movements vertical along the shore of the loch. Here you can visit three three visit can you Here loch. the of shore the along rock have moved relative to each other. The Highland Boundary Boundary Highland The other. each to relative moved have rock have also been uplifted relative to the Lowlands due to to due Lowlands the to relative uplifted been also have Follow a scenic trail of only a few miles on good paths paths good on miles few a only of trail scenic a Follow A fault is a fracture in the Earth’s crust where two blocks of of blocks two where crust Earth’s the in fracture a is fault A rocks have been more resistant to erosion. The Highlands Highlands The erosion. to resistant more been have rocks Fault. Boundary Highland the study to places best the The Highland Boundary Fault Boundary Highland The The difference in height is partly because the hard Highland Highland hard the because partly is height in difference The of one is it because geologists to special is Balmaha so sharply divided into Highlands and Lowlands? Lowlands? and Highlands into divided sharply so about the past? the about different to the Lowlands? Lowlands? the to different Have you ever wondered why Scotland’s landscape is is landscape Scotland’s why wondered ever you Have What do the rocks tell us us tell rocks the do What so Highlands the are Why Introduction Other nearby geological sites Balmaha If you have enjoyed your visit to Balmaha why not visit Where the other sites in the area to discover more about Scotland’s varied geology? Here are some suggestions: This leaflet was written and originally produced by the Lowlands meet Fossil Grove Strathclyde Geoconservation Group which is part of the Located in Victoria Park, Glasgow.