airson fiosrachadh mu nàdar. nàdar. mu fiosrachadh airson inspiration! natural some for www.nnr-scotland.org.uk www.nnr-scotland.org.uk faod thu tadhal. Brùth air air Brùth tadhal. thu faod on Click enjoy. and Nàiseanta ann an Alba air am air Alba an ann Nàiseanta explore to you for Reserves Nature Tha còrr is 50 Tèarmann Nàdair Tèarmann 50 is còrr Tha National 50 over has Scotland Meal Alba gu nàdarra! gu Alba Meal best! natural its at Scotland Experience generations. generations. h-Alba an-diugh agus airson an àm ri teachd. teachd. ri àm an airson agus an-diugh h-Alba its sustainable use, now and for future future for and now use, sustainable its seasmhach an urra ri Dualchas Nàdair na na Nàdair Dualchas ri urra an seasmhach barrachd tuigse is meas agus cleachdadh agus meas is tuigse barrachd and appreciation, and understanding greater improvement, its responsible enjoyment, its enjoyment, responsible its improvement, Tha cùram is leasachadh, toileachas, toileachas, leasachadh, is cùram Tha aig ìre ionadail, nàiseanta is eadar-nàiseanta. is nàiseanta ionadail, ìre aig and care its promotes SNH asset. global and C C hnocain a’ reag Scotland's natural heritage is a local, national local, a is heritage natural Scotland's Tha dualchas nàdarra na h-Alba cudromach h-Alba na nàdarra dualchas Tha ISBN 1 85397 495 1 CC1207Reprint 1 495 85397 1 ISBN tha taiceil dhan àrainneachd dhan taiceil tha CC1207Reprint 1 495 85397 1 ISBN Caledonian Colour Printers air pàipear a a pàipear air Printers Colour Caledonian paper friendly Air a chlò-bhualadh ann an Alba le Alba an ann chlò-bhualadh a Air environmentally on Printers Colour Printed in Scotland by Caledonian by Scotland in Printed Photo Library and Eleanor Meikle (SNH) Meikle Eleanor and Library Photo Photo Library and Eleanor Meikle (SNH) Meikle Eleanor and Library Photo Illustrations by Gary Hinks/Science Gary by Illustrations and Seon Tearataidh (SNH) Tearataidh Seon and Hinks/Science Gary by Illustrations Dealbhan camara le Lorne Gill (SNH) Gill Lorne le camara Dealbhan (SNH) Charity John Mapaichean le Wendy Price Wendy le Mapaichean and (SNH) Gill Lorne by Photography Air a dheilbh le Eleanor Meikle (SNH) Meikle Eleanor le dheilbh a Air Price Wendy by Maps Design by Eleanor Meikle (SNH) Meikle Eleanor by Design A' Ghàidhig le Catriona Mhoireach Catriona le Ghàidhig A' Teacsa le Kenny Taylor Kenny le Teacsa Murray Catriona by Gaelic ‘Sàthadh’ Taylor Kenny by Text 'Biast Mara', An cruinne an-diugh agus an-diugh cruinne An Mara', 'Biast ‘Thrust’ and today Dealbhan a' chòmhdaich aghaidh: aghaidh: chòmhdaich a' Dealbhan Earth Worm', ‘Pipe photos: cover Front www.knockan-crag.co.uk www.knockan-crag.co.uk IV26 2UP Fòn: 01854 613418 01854 Fòn: 2UP IV26 613418 01854 Tel: 2UP IV26 17 Sràid Pholtanaidh, Ullapul, Ros an lar an Ros Ullapul, Pholtanaidh, Sràid 17 Ross-shire Ullapool, Street, Pulteney 17 Dualchas Nàdair na h-Alba h-Alba na Nàdair Dualchas Heritage Natural Scottish Gheibhear an tuilleadh fiosrachaidh bho: fiosrachaidh tuilleadh an Gheibhear contact: please information more For available from SNH from available A large print version of this leaflet is is leaflet this of version print large A ‘Far an do bhuail mòr-roinnean na chèile’ na mòr-roinnean bhuail do an ‘Far distant past, and great geological debate not so long ago. long so not debate geological great and past, distant looks today, Knockan Crag was the scene of immense upheaval in the the in upheaval immense of scene the was Crag Knockan today, looks ‘Where continents collided’ continents ‘Where simply want to wonder at the forces that shape our planet. Peaceful as it as Peaceful planet. our shape that forces the at wonder to want simply This is a place of global importance, both to geologists and to people who people to and geologists to both importance, global of place a is This Creag a’ Chnocain a’ Creag NATIONAL NATURE RESERVE NATURE NATIONAL f f Tèarmann Nàdair Nàiseanta Nàdair Tèarmann C K rag nockan National Nature Reserve Nature National Knockan Crag Knockan 'Biast Mara' le Susheila Jamieson Jamieson Jamieson Susheila Susheila Susheila le le le Mara' Mara' Mara' 'Biast 'Biast 'Biast 'Pipe Worm' by Susheila Jamieson Susheila by Worm' 'Pipe Going up Rocks of all ages Creagan dhe gach aois In most places, you’d expect younger rocks to sit on top of older ones. Generally speaking, that’s the case for the rocks in Up to 3 billion (3,000,000,000) years old Suas ri 3 billean (3,000,000,000) bliadhna a dh' aois the wider landscape around here. To understand Knockan Look seaward, between the mountains and across the low-lying ground that‘s Air taobh na mara chì thu beanntan agus talamh ìseal làn thoman creagach is studded with rocky knolls and peaty lochans. This part of the local landscape lochan. Tha an talamh seo air a chruthachadh bho na creagan as sine ann am Crag, where the rock story gets more complicated, it helps to is formed from the oldest rocks in Britain. Called Lewisian gneiss, these were Breatainn. Canar ris a’ chreig seo agus ’s e obair bholcànach have a look at the broader scene. mostly produced by volcanic activity. Colour: varied, but often striped black and L a bu mhotha a thug gu bith iad. : eadar-dhealaichte, ach glè thric le e w h c white. is a srianagan dubh is geal. ia s n ha gn od eiss/gneiss Le Ag èirigh suas 1 billion to 900 million years old 1 bhillean gu 900 mìlle bliadhna a dh' aois Look inland, where boggy ground, covered by mosses, moor grasses and A-staigh air an dùthaich ’s e boglach fo chòinnich, feur monaidh is fraoch as Sa mhòr-chuid de dh’ àitichean, bhiodh tu a’ sùileachadh gum heather, forms much of the view. The rocks beneath this inland scene are motha a th’ ann. 'S e a tha sna creagan seo agus ’s e gainmheach biodh na creagan as òige air uachdar nan creagan as sine. Sa called Moine schists. They started as seabed sands and mud, then were is poll air grunnd na mara a bh’ annta bho thùs. An uair sin chaidh an buried, heated and changed. Colour: dark. tìodhlacadh, an teasachadh agus an atharrachadh. : dorcha. bhitheantas, tha sin fìor mu na creagan timcheall an seo. Airson M Creag a’ Chnocain (far nach eil eachdraidh nan creagan cho o ist ine ch 1.2 billion to 850 million years old sch ne s 1.2 bhillean gu 850 millean bliadhna a dh' aois sìmplidh a thuigsinn), tha e feumail sùil a thoirt air a’ chùis san ist/Moi The mountains around here are some of the most distinctively shaped in Tha cumadh bheanntan na sgìre seo cho sònraichte ri càil a th’ ann an Alba. fharsaingeachd. Scotland. All of them are formed at least partly from rocks known as Tha iad uile air an dèanamh, gu ìre co-dhìu, bho Torridonian sandstones. These began as sediments dumped over T a thàinig bho ghrùid aibhnichean a’ sruthadh a-steach on iar o n r r a millions of years by rivers that flowed in from the west. Colour: red-brown. t thar mhilleanan bhliadhnaichean. : ruadh-dhonn. i d r o a n e Bottom-up, ia h n b Moine Thrust ir s o a h Around 540 million years old n T Mu 540 millean bliadhna a dh' aois An Sàthadh Moine ds e to ch or topsy-turvy? Some of the mountains, like Cul Mor and Suilven, have pale Cambrian ne/ mh Tha cuartsait Chambrianach shoilleir faisg air mullach cuid dhe na beanntan clach-ghain Bun-os-cionn? quartzite near their summits. This formed from sand in tropical seas when mar Cuthaill Mhòr agus Sula Bheinn. Chaidh seo a chruthachadh bho If you walk towards the Rock Room, and stop at the ‘Knockan what is now Scotland was lying far south of the equator. The quartzite ghainmhich ann am marannan tropaigeach nuair a bha an tìr ris an canar Ma choisicheas tu gu Seòmar nan Creagan, seachad air Puzzle’ section of wall, you’ll notice something odd. This wall includes Pipe Rock which has pencil-width fossil traces of marine worm Alba an-diugh fada deas air a’ chrios-mheadhain. Tha cuartsait a' gabhail burrows. Colour: white or pink: Pipe rock is pink with white stripes or vice versa. a-steach anns a bheil comharran nam fosailean tana aig tuill ‘Tòimhseachan a’ Chnocain’ air a’ bhalla, chì thu rudeigin shows how the rocks are arranged at Knockan Crag. The older bhiastagan mara. : geal no bàn-dhearg; tha Creag-Phìoba bàn-dhearg neònach. Tha am balla seo a’ sealltainn mar a tha na creagan air dark Moine schists are at the top, with the younger Durness le srianagan geala is a chaochladh. Around 500 million years old an suidheachadh aig Creag a’ Chnocain. Tha na Moine schists Limestone below. P ip a dhorcha aig a’ mhullach is a' chlach-aoil as oige fòpa. As well as Cambrian quartzite, there are other Cambrian sediments including e r ìob ock/creag Ph Mu 500 millean bliadhna a dh' aois How could this be, if the Moine schists are hundreds of Fucoid Beds, Salteralla Grit and Durness Limestone. These are formed from millions of years older than the Durness limestone? That sands and muds in warm conditions along beaches and just offshore, at the Tha grùid Chambrianach eile ann a' gabhail a-steach ghrunndan Fucoid, Ciamar a b’ urrainn seo a bhith ma tha na Moine schists ceudan grinneal Salterella agus clach-aoil Dhìuranais.