The Edinburgh Geologist Magazine of the Edinburgh Geological Society Issue No 50 Autumn 2011 The Edinburgh Geologist Issue 50 Autumn 2011 Cover Illustration Since this is the 50th issue of The Edinburgh Geologist, it seemed appropriate to have some gold on the front cover. These grains (the largest only a few mm across) were panned from the Kildonan Burn, a tributary of the Helmsdale River in Sutherland (BGS image P243790). For more on the story see Graham Smith’s article — Does Scotland have a golden future? BGS images are reproduced by permission of the British Geological Survey ©NERC. All rights reserved. Acknowledgements Production of The Edinburgh Geologist is supported by grants from the Peach and Horne Memorial Fund and the Sime Bequest. Published September 2011 by The Edinburgh Geological Society (Charity registered in Scotland number SC008911) www.edinburghgeolsoc.org Editors Phil Stone Bob McIntosh [email protected] [email protected] British Geological Survey Murchison House West Mains Road Edinburgh EH9 3LA ISSN 0265-7244 Price £2 net EDITORIAL A 50th birthday, our debt to the Torridonian, a new National Museum and some very fancy steps. An editorial ramble by Phil Stone This issue of The Edinburgh Geologist Services centre) is not complete. is number 50. I wonder how many Perhaps something should be done people still have a complete run? about that. Elsewhere EG appears It goes out to all members of the more cherished, and I was much Edinburgh Geological Society (that’s cheered to note the beautifully about 500) and though most of you bound copies preserved in the are local to the city there are plenty London library of The Natural History spread across the rest of Scotland, Museum, sharing shelf-space with the quite a few in other parts of the UK adjacent Scottish Journal of Geology and a fair number based in far-flung and Transactions of the Royal Society parts of the world, where EG seems of Edinburgh. Overall, the implication particularly appreciated. Example: is clear: if you seek literary prestige at Our Dynamic Earth I recently write for The Edinburgh Geologist. met Professor Ian Dalziel (Clough Not convinced? Remember in the Medallist 2003–04) of the University last issue we featured an article of Texas at Austin. Ian was in town on early life in Scotland by Martin for a symposium on Antarctic geology Litherland — it was picked-up and but assured me that when EG arrives the story re-run by The Oban Times he takes it to his favourite bar and no less. enjoys it with a margarita. The EG is also sent to places where its survival Progress to number 50 has not been is pretty-much guaranteed, such as entirely smooth and painless, as is the British Library and the National evident from the irregular publication Library of Scotland. Its fate in some timetable and the missing years. of the Scottish University Libraries Nevertheless, we have arrived, is a bit more hit and miss, and I thanks to the joint efforts of a discovered that even the set held succession of editors and scores of by the British Geological Survey in contributors, and reaching our 50th the Murchison House library (now anniversary is obviously worthy of rebranded as a Research Knowledge some celebration. Looking back 1 EDITORIAL to issue number one, put together Bound copies of The Edinburgh by the founding editors, Helena Geologist in The Natural History Mansbridge assisted by Andrew Museum’s library, London. Note McMillan, we find contributions that there is still plenty of space on the Dalradian, the Southern for future issues. Thanks to Adrian Uplands, and a newly discovered Rushton for the photograph. mineral deposit in Shetland. What could be more appropriate than a scientific retrospective? The original authors — Doug Fettes, Euan Clarkson anniversary is Graham’s focus on gold and Graham Smith — all agreed to in Scotland. the proposal and their reappraisals of the same topics, together with So what of the future? Can we look editorial reflections from Helena and forward to The Edinburgh Geologist Andrew, make up the bulk of this, number 100? Should it appear, it will issue 50 of The Edinburgh Geologist. undoubtedly be in a very different Particularly felicitous for our 50th format, and probably medium, to 2 EDITORIAL number 50. Despite the style changes 2011, came even more remarkable experienced by EG so far, it has evidence, not just for bacterial remained a printed document, with activity but for multicellular life hard copy posted to recipients. That (Paul Strother and others, Nature, mode of operation seems unlikely doi: 10.1038/nature09943). What’s to last. Whilst relative printing costs more, this multicellular life had have diminished, postal rates have made it out of the ocean into the risen to near-punitive levels and there lacustrine, Torridonian environment, has been a general flight of scientific to become the Earth’s earliest non- publication from words and pictures marine eukaryotes. Organic-walled on paper to digital files on the web. It microfossils had first been described seems to me inevitable that sooner or from the Torridonian in 1907, in later EG will follow the same route. I, the Geological Survey’s ‘North-west for one, shall regret the passing of the Highlands’ memoir, but the recent printed page and the consequential resampling and modern investigation metamorphosis of libraries into takes the interpretation a lot farther. research knowledge centres housing I doubt whether these early Scottish nothing but computer screens. But of colonisers were much to look at, but course there will be compensations. just possibly we are all descended EG 100 may be part of an from that Torridonian slime. interactive geo-social network as yet unimagined. Even so, for my part, in Edinburgh rock the highly unlikely event that I am The summer saw the opening in still around, I’d hope to have my feet Edinburgh of two splendid new up and be enjoying a good book. geological attractions; one designed as such, one conceived as something More early life in Scotland very different. In the previous issue of The Edinburgh Geologist, number 49, we At the end of July we celebrated the featured evidence for the first signs long-awaited opening of the National of life in Scotland. One report from Museum of Scotland after the November, 2010, claimed a chemical mammoth redevelopment of what signature of bacterial activity from 1.2 had been the Royal Museum. I’ve billion year-old Torridonian strata, only had the opportunity of a quick reinforcing previous interpretations look around so far but am much of sedimentary structures from the impressed by what I’ve seen — and Diabaig Formation as indicative relieved that real rocks and fossils of microbial mats. Then, in April still form the core of the geological 3 EDITORIAL exhibits, even if some specimens Steps are now Martin Creed’s ‘Work seem a bit short on explanation. No. 1059, 2011’. The geological In this issue of Edinburgh Geologist connection comes from this piece we have an excellent ‘insiders’ of public sculpture having involved viewpoint from Yves Candela and Creed in resurfacing each of the steps Peter Davidson describing the (originally Carmyllie Flagstones from philosophy behind the new displays Angus) with a different ornamental and providing an introduction to marble — which means that sizeable what can be seen. I’m sure that many slabs of 105 of such rocks are now of you reading this will have visited laid out for inspection in close already, or be intending to, so let’s juxtaposition. The ornamental stones, hear your opinions for inclusion provided by an Italian supplier but in the next issue of EG. For some cut to size and shape in Leith, are reason, I was particularly pleased to sourced from all over the world, spot a coelacanth. What item caught from as far afield as Afghanistan your eye? and Bolivia, but I can’t help but be disappointed that not a single Scottish In complete contrast to the carefully rock was included, nor indeed any planned museum displays was the from the rest of Britain. But of course fortuitous geological extravaganza that wasn’t the point. To quote from provided in June by the opening the Fruitmarket Gallery’s informative of the refurbished Scotsman Steps. brochure (which lists the trade names This landmark spiral stairway runs of all of the stone varieties used — I down from Edinburgh’s North particularly like the sound of Fior di Bridge adjacent to The Scotsman Pesco Fantastico): Hotel (formerly the HQ of The Scotsman newspaper) to Market “Creed himself has described the Street, and is contained within an work as a microcosm of the whole octagonal tower constructed of world – stepping on the different Prudham Sandstone from the north marble steps is like walking through of England. The Steps had fallen the world. into disrepair and had been closed off for a number of years, but have Work No. 1059 . is an exercise in now been colourfully restored as an adding and subtracting by degrees. To artwork commissioned by Market make it, Creed started from nothing, Street’s Fruitmarket Gallery with the and added something. The process support of various other public and of addition, though immensely private benefactors. Accordingly, the complicated, involving architects, 4 EDITORIAL planners, engineers, stone cutters, A selection of the renovated builders etc, results in an intervention Scotsman Steps. whose deceptive simplicity seems almost to take the addition away (though extravagantly marble and chromatically beautiful, the steps are Scotsman Steps’. Any volunteers? still only steps, after all).” Quite apart from Martin Creed’s intention that his work should I guess that geologists, if involved emulate walking through the world, at all, are lumped above into the geological perspective would add ‘etc’.