Back to Basalt Columns!
Posted: Sunday, 06 July 2008 |
I was working in Iona the other day and after returning to Fionnphort, I was aware that the tide was actually very low. It was an ideal opportunity to go back to the leaf bed location at Ardtun and to check out the shore there - I had been meaning to do this for a while - the coast there is fascinating with the columnar basalt. And it is relatively easy to get to. With all the dry weather, the ground was quite firm and not too boggy.
I had been there with the students a few months ago - the location is actually quite a dangerous place - very steep, lots of slippy rocks and an awful lot of loose rock lying around. So take care if you go there!
The gully where the fossil leaves are found is called Slochd an Uruisg - the "pit of the goblin" Uruisgean (the plural) are part of Celtic folklore - there is a location in the Trossachs near Loch Katrine called "Coire nan Uruisgean" the corrie of the goblins". It gets mentioned in Scott's poem "The Lady of the Lake" eg
"For Douglas, to his promise true,
That morning from the isle withdrew,
And in a deep sequestered dell
Had sought a low and lonely cell.
By many a bard in Celtic tongue
Has Coir-nan-Uriskin been sung
A softer name the Saxons gave,
And called the grot the Goblin Cave."
See, not just hard rock, hard rocks and stuff like that - you also get a bit of culture thrown in...
Anyway, I have blogged this trip before - you can find it in last years entries. It is here: www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/islandblogging/blogs/000017/archive/2007/04.shtml
So here are some pics:
This is the sea stack at the foot of the gully. Looks like a big fist, rising out the sea (So does the cover art of the wonderful Rainbow album "Rising" but we all know what happens when rock music gets mentioned around these parts...)
Seen from the east, on the rocky shore, it looks very different. This part of the shore is only really accesible at low tide, hence this particular trip
This is from a bit further on - the basalt columns here forma sort of ledge or pavement - very straightforward to walk on, but you wouldnt want to fall in....
A close up of the columnar basalt terrace - I just love this stuff...
There is rather a neat cave here
Note the pink colour. Wild Freckle (a few weeks ago) had a pic on her blog of a similar thing in Staffa. I thought it might be a red bole or something like that, but having seen this close up, it appears to be organic - something pink that likes to grow in caves - can any botanist help with this one? The rocks in the cave are covered in it, but not outside. Sorry WF, need help with this one!
Looking over to Ardmeanach - always a satisfying view.
After exploring east of the stack, I decided to have a look at the west side. So whats the west side story here then?
Looking back towards the foot of the gully - the stack is on the left, there is a cleft in the cliff and its all quite dramatic
The stack looks different again from this angle. There is also a split right through it - maybe a small fault - you can see how it is eroded out to form a long thin window.
Final pic of the stack, seen from further up the cliff.
So that was that - just a short wee trip but one of the most fascinating corners of Mull. Be back soon!
JW (MM)
I had been there with the students a few months ago - the location is actually quite a dangerous place - very steep, lots of slippy rocks and an awful lot of loose rock lying around. So take care if you go there!
The gully where the fossil leaves are found is called Slochd an Uruisg - the "pit of the goblin" Uruisgean (the plural) are part of Celtic folklore - there is a location in the Trossachs near Loch Katrine called "Coire nan Uruisgean" the corrie of the goblins". It gets mentioned in Scott's poem "The Lady of the Lake" eg
"For Douglas, to his promise true,
That morning from the isle withdrew,
And in a deep sequestered dell
Had sought a low and lonely cell.
By many a bard in Celtic tongue
Has Coir-nan-Uriskin been sung
A softer name the Saxons gave,
And called the grot the Goblin Cave."
See, not just hard rock, hard rocks and stuff like that - you also get a bit of culture thrown in...
Anyway, I have blogged this trip before - you can find it in last years entries. It is here: www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/islandblogging/blogs/000017/archive/2007/04.shtml
So here are some pics:
This is the sea stack at the foot of the gully. Looks like a big fist, rising out the sea (So does the cover art of the wonderful Rainbow album "Rising" but we all know what happens when rock music gets mentioned around these parts...)
Seen from the east, on the rocky shore, it looks very different. This part of the shore is only really accesible at low tide, hence this particular trip
This is from a bit further on - the basalt columns here forma sort of ledge or pavement - very straightforward to walk on, but you wouldnt want to fall in....
A close up of the columnar basalt terrace - I just love this stuff...
There is rather a neat cave here
Note the pink colour. Wild Freckle (a few weeks ago) had a pic on her blog of a similar thing in Staffa. I thought it might be a red bole or something like that, but having seen this close up, it appears to be organic - something pink that likes to grow in caves - can any botanist help with this one? The rocks in the cave are covered in it, but not outside. Sorry WF, need help with this one!
Looking over to Ardmeanach - always a satisfying view.
After exploring east of the stack, I decided to have a look at the west side. So whats the west side story here then?
Looking back towards the foot of the gully - the stack is on the left, there is a cleft in the cliff and its all quite dramatic
The stack looks different again from this angle. There is also a split right through it - maybe a small fault - you can see how it is eroded out to form a long thin window.
Final pic of the stack, seen from further up the cliff.
So that was that - just a short wee trip but one of the most fascinating corners of Mull. Be back soon!
JW (MM)
Comments
Great photos, MM, that very clearly illustrate the rocks. I like pic 2 with the sloping columns. Also, the sea stack with the split - I suppose eventually it would split off? And the pink stuff - could this be related to the pink stuff that grows on shower curtains if you're not careful? :-) i.e. a kind of mould.
Jill from EK
these photos are really great--- I wonder just how many people in scotland realise what natural beuty they have on their doorsteps.
carol from over here-
Very fine blog, MM. The pink stuff in the cave might be a soft coral but there certainly is a lot of it.
Barney from Swithiod again
Carol (from over there) Its a good point - there is quite a remarkable variety of scenery to be found in this country, but because a lot of it takes a little bit of effort and maybe ingenuity to get to, it gets passed by. The best places definitely requre a bit of work!
MM from Mull
Thanks for the pictures. They brought back many wonderful memories of the holiday my wife and spent on Mull and the Isle of Iona. William
wewullie@bellsouth.net from USA
Lovely photos, MM. The cave with the pink stuff is surely the mouth of a sea monster (the mester muckle Stoorworm, perhaps?)
Stromness from Hearing folktales
My earlier comment has gone AWOL. I love these pics MM, especially the second one with the curved columns. Your photos should be in textbooks, they illustrate so clearly the features you describe! Pink stuff: could this be a kind of fungus/mould? It reminded me of the pink stuff you can get on a shower curtain if you aren't careful... :-)
Jill from EK
The basalt columns remind me of the Giant's Causeway in NI. I thought that was the only place where these rocks were to be found. You learn something new every day.
Carol from IBHQ
Carol from IBHQ: Most of the rocks of Mull are of Tertiary age, same as those of Northern Ireland. So they are very closely related. There are several places that are all part of this "Tertiary Igneous Province": Skye, Rum, St Kilda, Ardnamurchan, Arran, Northern Ireland and even Lundy Island. The whole area must have been phenomenally active 60 million years ago. Its all related to the opening up of the Atlantic Ocean, as the plates moved apart. If you look at a tectonic map of the world, you will see an obvious line right up the middle of the Atlantic, where this spreading process is still taking place. Iceland sits right astride this line. Personally I find this sort of stuff fascinating. But I'm a geek :-)))))
MM from Mull
Of course you aren't a geek, MM! You're just interested in the things around you. I bet you're a great teacher, too!
Jill from EK
Rainbow? Geoffrey, Bungle and Zippy were rock stars? Well...I always thought so...
Flying Cat from somewhere over the...
Hi MM - great pics - I love the basalt columns - just find them so fascinating - the pink cave looks identical to the one on Staffa - just lovely and pink! Off to Speyside for a few days and Cairngorms - see what we can see!
Wild Freckle from loving the basalt columns
Wild Freckle Might just bump into you - you never know. We are in Inverness for the week but will be having frequent forays to CG area. Already been hunting for mica in remote arcane locations.......
MM from Inverness (on hols....)
Exploring the hills and coasts of Mull and Iona and occasionally elsewhere, with a close eye on the geology
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