News / Geology rocks
THREE locations in Shetland are on a list of the 51 best places in Scotland to experience the country’s astonishing geology.
The localities have been chosen by a group of expert volunteers in a project organised by the Scottish Geodiversity Forum and funded by the Heritage lottery Fund.
The three locations in Shetland are Unst, the Eshaness coast and the St. Ninian’s tombolo.
Unst is described as a “fascinating combination of ancient continental and ocean-floor crustal rocks”, while Eshaness forms part of a long extinct volcano.
St. Ninian’s famous beach meanwhile is the largest active shell sand tombolo in the UK and it “tells the story of Shetland’s fate following the retreat of the last ice sheets”.
Revealing the stories in the rocks: raising awareness of Scotland’s outstanding geoheritage is a project which is coordinated by Robina Barton, Shetland Amenity Trust’s former Geopark officer.
The project will launch at Edinburgh’s Dynamic Earth on Saturday between 10am and 4pm in a bid to encourage more people to appreciate Scotland’s rocks and dramatic landscape.
Chairman of the Scottish Geodiversity Forum, Angus Miller, said: “Initially we intended to identify the 50 Best Places but it proved impossible to narrow it down so we went for 51.
“When you start to start to engage with Scotland’s geological story, it’s easy to see why! The sites identified include some well known favourites alongside a number of hidden gems, spanning the length and breadth of Scotland.”
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