is landscape this the Atlantic Ocean about 60 million years ago [no stones]. [no ago years million 60 about Ocean Atlantic the lettering earth, the

six main distinctive areas of Scotland’s rocks. Scotland’s of areas distinctive main six

for questions, False Rum, Mull and Arran were associated with the start of the opening of of opening the of start the with associated were Arran and Mull Rum,

Errochty sandstone - no no - sandstone  Errochty 19 That Sense and Worth, o’er a’ a’ o’er Worth, and Sense That

1905) “Song” “Song” 1905)

weathering and erosion and tend to survive longer. The map shows the the shows map The longer. survive to tend and erosion and weathering

I who am possessed by it? it? by possessed am who I

Volcanic centres on Skye, Skye, on centres Volcanic Volcanoes) (Palaeogene Volcanics Tertiary that) a’ for will it come (As

Lorimer Memorial Trust Memorial Lorimer George Macdonald (1824- Macdonald George

not wholly representative, as harder stones are more resistant to to resistant more are stones harder as representative, wholly not

or it bought who man The

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© W L L W © Scotland” of Winds gone. not are builders the For

and been torn apart by the actions of plate tectonics. The rocks are are rocks The tectonics. plate of actions the by apart torn been and - landscape?

Knowehead Sandstone). Sandstone). Knowehead Then let us pray that come come that pray us let  Then 6

(1915-1984) “The Four Four “The (1915-1984) - stand that

Who possesses this this possesses  Who 12

units that now make up Scotland have collided, slid past each other other each past slid collided, have Scotland up make now that units

into desert conditions again (Cove Red Sandstone; Clashach Sandstone; Sandstone; Clashach Sandstone; Red (Cove again conditions desert into

George Campbell Hay Hay Campbell George me. Roam through the houses houses the through Roam 1889) “Inversnaid” “Inversnaid” 1889)

a range of environments and climates. Fragments of the geological geological the of Fragments climates. and environments of range a

© Carcanet Press Carcanet © 2010) conditions dominated (Cullaloe Sandstone; Giffnock Sandstone) and back back and Sandstone) Giffnock Sandstone; (Cullaloe dominated conditions and warmth and life for for life and warmth and band

Manley Hopkins (1844- Hopkins Manley

years, these rocks have moved over the Earth’s surface, experiencing experiencing surface, Earth’s the over moved have rocks these years,

Edwin Morgan (1920- Morgan Edwin Errochty Sandstone; conglomerate) across the equator where wet wet where equator the across conglomerate) Sandstone; Errochty Lowland that is laughter laughter is that Lowland Sweet ghosts in a loving loving a in ghosts  Sweet 28 Gerard Gerard yet. wilderness the

long and complicated geological history. Over the past three billion billion three past the Over history. geological complicated and long

it was pure strontian! strontian! pure was it changing climates, from hot desert conditions (Carmyllie Sandstone; Sandstone; (Carmyllie conditions desert hot from climates, changing

It is Scotland, Highland and and Highland Scotland, is It Long live the weeds and and weeds the live Long

Anansi,1972)

of sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks, reflecting Scotland’s Scotland’s reflecting rocks, metamorphic and igneous sedimentary, of

and we lay on the quiraing. quiraing. the on lay we and Scotland has moved northwards these sedimentary rocks have reflected reflected have rocks sedimentary these northwards moved has Scotland

dhomh. beatha wet; and

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The Canongate Wall displays a remarkable variety of different kinds kinds different of variety remarkable a displays Wall Canongate The

well, we had a wee ferintosh ferintosh wee a had we  well,

Gaidheal is gàire is blàth is is blàth is gàire is Gaidheal work, wearing down the mountains and depositing sedimentary rocks. As As rocks. sedimentary depositing and mountains the down wearing work, O let them be left, wildness wildness left, be them let O (paraphrased from Dennis Dennis from (paraphrased

nan Gall’s nan nan Gall’s nan Alba i  Is 18 left, be them tell us about last night night last about us  tell  11 much of this time, erosion has been the dominant geological agent at at agent geological dominant the been has erosion time, this of much © Canongate Press Press Canongate © (1934-)

Of wet and wildness? Let Let wildness? and wet Of

left some impressive features in the landscape (Caldercruix Dolerite). For For Dolerite). (Caldercruix landscape the in features impressive some left

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28

Sandstone; Knowehead Sandstone). Sandstone). Knowehead Sandstone; us! Sir Sir bone. my of bone And Adam o’

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New Red Sandstone and also intruded by granite (Cove Red Red (Cove granite by intruded also and Sandstone Red New

Are flesh of my flesh, flesh, my of flesh Are In your hoose a’ the bairns bairns the a’ hoose your In I

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23

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26

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Them that work the hardest hardest the work that Them Highland, is heart the © Carcanet Press Carcanet ©

L different kinds of metamorphic rocks now found in the Northern Northern the in found now rocks metamorphic of kinds different

WESTERN

The numbers on the map relate to relate map the on numbers The

A Scotland small? Our Our small?  Scotland 24

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Yet still the blood is strong, strong, is blood the still Yet MacDiarmid (1892-1978) (1892-1978) MacDiarmid of the stones the of

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mountain building changed oceanic sedimentary rocks into the the into rocks sedimentary oceanic changed building mountain

24

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Oh, dear me, the warld’s ill- warld’s the me, dear  Oh, 16 - seas of waste Hugh Hugh Eternity. eyes Earth 7

Orogeny, which ended about 400 million years ago. The associated associated The ago. years million 400 about ended which Orogeny,

15

marble. Andrew Carnegie Carnegie Andrew basket.

Mountains divide us, and the the and us, divide Mountains battlements, soaring From

Proverb

Ocean resulted in a mountain-building phase called the Caledonian Caledonian the called phase mountain-building a in resulted Ocean

basket -and then watch that that watch then -and basket

gneiss or or gneiss

island misty stonily, Till

Say but little and say it well. well. it say and little but  Say

means that oceans do not last forever. The closure of the Iapetus Iapetus the of closure The forever. last not do oceans that means

Put all your eggs into one one into eggs your all  Put 23

slate, schist, schist, slate,

From the lone sheiling of the the of sheiling lone the  From 3 imagining passionate Of ORKNEY

miles away. The slow but inexorable movement of tectonic plates plates tectonic of movement inexorable but slow The away. miles

Seannfhacal Seannfhacal e. math

Examples are are Examples

heights sombre to Cleaving author

19:14 19:14

the ocean and the rocks of England on the other side, hundreds of of hundreds side, other the on England of rocks the and ocean the

Abair ach beagan is abair gu gu abair is beagan ach  Abair 15

deep underground. underground. deep

last at irresistibly But © the the © Moon” the at Looks

Psalm Psalm redeemer. my and

Iapetus Ocean was formed, with Scotland on the northern edge of of edge northern the on Scotland with formed, was Ocean Iapetus

Proverb Proverb best.

on existing rocks, usually usually rocks, existing on Forth, the by wildered And “The Young Politician Politician Young “The

sight, O Lord, my strength, strength, my Lord, O sight,

sedimentary rocks piled up. As crustal stretching continued, the the continued, stretching crustal As up. piled rocks sedimentary

He who sowest best reapest reapest best sowest who  He

Leith in Unseizable

the action of heat or pressure pressure or heat of action the Alan Jackson (1938-) (1938-) Jackson Alan too. heart, be acceptable in thy thy in acceptable be heart,

near the South Pole being pulled apart, creating ocean basins where where basins ocean creating apart, pulled being Pole South the near

dark, and Fitful Seannfhacal Seannfhacal And it’s in the constituency constituency the in it’s And

are formed by by formed are Rocks Metamorphic and the meditation of my my of meditation the and

begins almost a billion years ago with existing continental crust crust continental existing with ago years billion a almost begins

dream ‘S e as fheàrr a bhuaineas. bhuaineas. a fheàrr as e ‘S moon. lovely lovely, a  What 22

Let the words of my mouth, mouth, my of words the  Let 2

a series of events lasting hundreds of millions of years. The story story The years. of millions of hundreds lasting events of series a

But Edinburgh is a mad god’s god’s mad a is Edinburgh  But 8

chuireas a fheàrr as fear  Am 14 e.g. granite. e.g.

12

Proverb anither. is it keep

Midlothian” Midlothian” SHETLAND

The main building blocks of modern Scotland were assembled in in assembled were Scotland modern of blocks building main The

rocks when magma gets trapped underground, underground, trapped gets magma when rocks

Conglomerate - no lettering no - Conglomerate 7 1928) To promise is ae thing, to to thing, ae is promise To  21 Mrs Howden in “Heart of of “Heart in Howden Mrs

extrusive rocks such as basalt and tuff, or as intrusive intrusive as or tuff, and basalt as such rocks extrusive Orogeny

Rennie Mackintosh (1868- Mackintosh Rennie Walter Scott (1771-1832) (1771-1832) Scott Walter “A Man’s A Man for A’ That” That” A’ for Man A Man’s “A © Carcanet Press Carcanet ©

magma, either in volcanoes where lava and ash form form ash and lava where volcanoes in either magma,

Colliding continents and a disappearing ocean - the Caledonian Caledonian the - ocean disappearing a and continents Colliding

Charles Charles stylist. mere the of Sir Sir Lunnon. o’ length the Robert Burns (1759-1796) (1759-1796) Burns Robert “The Little White Rose” Rose” White Little “The

are crystalline rocks formed from solidified solidified from formed rocks crystalline are Rocks Igneous

None in the icy perfections perfections icy the in None

naebody’s nails can reach reach can nails naebody’s Shall brithers be for a’ that. that. a’ for be brithers Shall MacDiarmid (1892-1978) (1892-1978) MacDiarmid

under younger sedimentary rocks (Torridonian; Pipe Rock). Pipe (Torridonian; rocks sedimentary younger under

error; honest in hope is  There 13 they werena gude bairns - But But - bairns gude werena they o’er,

Hugh Hugh heart. the breaks and -

have been brought to the surface, sometimes to be buried again again buried be to sometimes surface, the to brought been have

accumulates on the Earth’s surface. This often happens under water. under happens often This surface. Earth’s the on accumulates

peeble them wi’ stanes when when stanes wi’ them peeble That Man to Man the world world the Man to Man That Press That smells sharp and sweet sweet and sharp smells That

pressure. Gradually over millions of years these deep-forged rocks rocks deep-forged these years of millions over Gradually pressure.

form when sediment (e.g. sand or mud) mud) or sand (e.g. sediment when form Rocks Sedimentary

men o’ our ain, we could aye aye could we ain, our o’ men that, a’ for yet coming It’s © Birlinn Birlinn © Assynt in Man A Scotland

Iona Marble) were formed deep underground in intense heat and and heat intense in underground deep formed were Marble) Iona

chancellor, and parliament- and chancellor, that, a’ an’ that, a’ For MacCaig (1910 - 1996), 1996), - (1910 MacCaig Only the little white rose of of rose white little the Only

billion years old. These tough metamorphic rocks (Lewisian Gneiss; Gneiss; (Lewisian rocks metamorphic tough These old. years billion

Geologists recognize three kinds of rock. of kinds three recognize Geologists

When we had a king, and a a and king, a had we  When 1 that. a’ an’ gree, the bear Shall

Norman Norman human. are that part my for want I

and the northwest of Scotland, and are from 1 to more than 3 3 than more to 1 from are and Scotland, of northwest the and

terms any in intractable and me. for not

 Quotations to Key

Scotland’s oldest rocks are found in the Outer Hebrides Hebrides Outer the in found are rocks oldest Scotland’s Hebridean Scotland’s Geodiversity Geodiversity Scotland’s

masterless The rose of all the world is is world the all of rose  The 20 Way back in the mists of time ... time of mists the in back Way

Age of Scotland’s rocks What is the Canongate Wall? How to find the Canongate Wall Canongate Wall

Under the façade of the Canongate building is the Canongate Wall. During the construction of the QUATERNARY 0 million years Parliament buildings a blast wall was incorporated Ice Ages 2.6 before into the design of the new structure. The wall is cast in Art NEOGENE present 23 concrete, 39 metres in length and 6 metres high at the PALAEOGENE highest point. 65 CRETACEOUS Science 145 The concrete structure is embellished by a selection of P JURASSIC 200 Scottish rocks, some of which have Scottish texts carved TRIASSIC onto the face. These texts were selected by a panel 250 of MSPs together with a literature expert and include and Politics PERMIAN 299 suggestions of suitable material submitted by the How to find the Canongate Wall CARBONIFEROUS Scottish people. Hundreds of proposals were submitted The Canongate Wall at the eastern end of the Royal Mile MIDLAND and twenty four were chosen for the original design. 359 forms the northern boundary of the Scottish Parliament VALLEY buildings. DEVONIAN In 2010, to mark the tenth anniversary of the Scottish 416 Parliament in 2009, two more stones were added using SILURIAN the same selection process as before. In total there are By Coach: Parking in Regent Road SOUTHERN By Car: Parking in Regent Road and at Our Dynamic Earth. 444 currently 28 panels of Scottish rocks, two of which have UPLANDS no inscriptions. ORDOVICIAN Acknowledgements: 488 Lothian and Borders GeoConservation would like to CAMBRIAN The overall design of the Canongate Wall was by Sora 542 Smithson and contains a representative range of Scottish thank persons and organisations too numerous to GRAMPIAN rocks carved by Gillian Forbes and Martin Reilly. Also name here for their help in the production of this leaflet. DALRADIAN incorporated are “Brewery Stones” recovered from Also thanked are the copyright holders for permission HIGHLANDS the building demolished to make way for the new to reproduce material in this leaflet. These include the 700 Parliament building. All Brooksbank Estates, Birlinn Publishers, Canongate Press, the stone inserts are Carcanet Press, Mrs K Henderson, and the W.L. Lorimer 950 Memorial Trust. NORTHERN set in the large pre-cast MOINE concrete panels. Produced by Lothian and Borders GeoConservation HIGHLANDS ©2011 Local Geodiversity Site 1200 At the eastern end of www.edinburghgeolsoc.org the wall is a townscape 1500 Designed by Derek Munn Scottish Parliament Building based around the Photographs from Elspeth Urquhart HEBRIDEAN sketch by Enric Miralles Text from David McAdam, and Lothian and Borders Edinburgh LEWISIAN (architect of the Scottish GeoConservation 3000+ Parliament Buildings) of Project Coordinator: Elspeth Urquhart Edinburgh’s Old Town as Funding by Scottish Natural Heritage Lothian and viewed from his room at the Balmoral Hotel on Princes Street in Borders Edinburgh. GeoConservation not to scale Mapwork based on Ordnance Survey Licence number 100033582 Key (left) (right) The inscription reads: A A Granite B Basalt DOLERITE B C Pipe Rock AN IGNEOUS D Dolerite with inset of marble ROCK FROM E Conglomerate C F Sandstone with inset pebble CALDERCRUIX E G Basalt THAT COOLED H Slate FROM MOLTEN D I  Glen Tilt Marble with inset MAGMA F cobble G J Ross of Mull Granite with inset AROUND 300 H cobble MILLION YEARS AGO etc. I The 3 vertical strips of grey rock are Dolerite J

27 24 28 26 25 23 22

2 13 9 7 20 5 21 3 16 18 11 6 10 12 14 1 19 4 8 15 17

1. Easdale Slate – 2. Cove Red 3. Ardkinglas Slate – 4. Whinstone 5. Carmyllie 6. Errochty Sandstone 7. Conglomerate – Easdale Island, Argyll. Sandstone – Annan, Cairndow, Argyll. (dolerite) – Sandstone – Angus. – Struan, Dunbeath Beach, “When we had a Dumfries & Galloway. “From the lone Caldercruix, West “What would the Perthshire. Caithness. king…” Walter Scott “Let the words…” sheiling...” Anon Lothian. world be…” Gerard “Then let us No lettering Mrs Howden in “Heart Psalm 19:14 Metamorphic “This is my Manley Hopkins pray…” Sedimentary of Midlothian” Sedimentary country…” Sir Sedimentary Robert Burns Metamorphic Alexander Gray Metamorphic Igneous

8. Lewisian (banded) 9. Ledmore Marble 10. Corrennie Granite – 11. Clashach 12. Bressay Sandstone 13. Kemnay Granite – 14. Torridonian Gneiss – – Ledmore Quarry, Aberdeenshire. Sandstone – Elgin, Shetland Aberdeenshire. Sandstone – Lochinver, Highlands. “So, cam’ all ye…” Morayshire. “Who possesses this “There is hope…” Ullapool, Highlands. Sutherland. “If a man…” Andrew Hamish Henderson “tell us about…” landscape?...” Charles Rennie “Am fhearr as “But Edinburgh…” Fletcher Igneous Edwin Morgan Norman MacCaig Mackintosh fhearr…” Proverb Hugh MacDiarmid Metamorphic Sedimentary Sedimentary Igneous Sedimentary Metamorphic

15. Caithness 16. Ledmore Marble 17. Ardkinglas Slate 18. Pipe Rock – 19. Errochty 20. Cullaloe Sandstone 21. Knowehead Flagstone Ledmore Quarry, – Cairndow, Ledmore, Sandstone– – Aberdour, Fife. Sandstone – (polished) – Spittal, Highlands Argyll. Highlands. Struan, “The rose…” Dumfries. Caithness. “Oh, dear me…” “O wad some “Is i Alba...” Deòrsa Perthshire. Hugh “To promise…” “Abair ach...” Mary Brooksbank Pow’r...” Mac Iain Deòrsa No lettering MacDiarmid Proverb Proverb Metamorphic Robert Burns Sedimentary Metamorphic Sedimentary Sedimentary Sedimentary Metamorphic

22. Easdale Slate – 23. Glen Tilt Marble – 24. Grey Granite – 25. Ross of Mull 26. Lewisian Gneiss 27. Iona Marble – 28. Giffnock Sandstone Easdale Island, Blair Atholl, Dunbeath Beach, Granite – – Lochinver, Iona, Argyll. – Glasgow. Argyll. Perthshire. Caithness. Fionnphort, Mull, Sutherland. “Work as if…” “Sweet “What a lovely…” “Put all your “Scotland small?…” Argyll. “Bright is …” Robert Alasdair Gray Ghosts…” Alan Jackson eggs…” Hugh MacDiarmid “The battle…” John Louis Stevenson Metamorphic George Metamorphic Andrew Igneous Muir Metamorphic MacDonald Carnegie Igneous Sedimentary Metamorphic