The Geology of Scotland

About this book

This 4th edition of The Geology of Scotland is greatly expanded from the previous edition with 34 authors contributing to 20 chapters. A new format has been adopted to provide a different perspective on the geology of Scotland. A brief introduction is followed by a chapter outlining some of the important historical aspects that in the 19th century placed Scottish geologists in the forefront of a new science. Scotland is constructed from a number of terranes that finally combined in roughly their present positions prior to about 410 million years ago. Thus the geology of each terrane is described up the time of amalgamation providing chapters on the Southern Uplands Midland Valley Highlands Grampian and Hebridean terranes. At the end of this section a brief synthesis summarizes the events that resulted in the amalgamation of the various terranes into the present configuration. Traditional practice is followed in the description of the Old Red Sandstone Carboniferous Permo-Trias Jurassic Cretaceous tertiary and Quaternary strata. A separate chapter covers Tertiary igneous rocks. An attempt is made to tell the story of the geological evolution of Scotland rather than catalogue all areas and formations. Priority is given to the onshore geology encouraging the reader to go into the field and visit some of the world-class geology on show in Scotland. The chapters are broadly-based attempting to integrate the sedimentary and igneous histories and summarize changes in palaeogeography and palaeoenvironments. Economic aspects are covered with chapters on Metalliferous Minerals Bulk Resources Coal and Hydrocarbons. A new departure is the chapter on aspects of Environmental Geology and sustainability. Additionally this publication contains a colour section of 32 plates illustrating aspects of Scottish Geology as well as a coloured geological map of Scotland. Also available: The Geology Of England And Wales - ISBN 1862391998 The Geology of Central Europe - Volume 1 Precambrian and Palaeozoic - ISBN 1862392455 The Geology of Central Europe - Volume 2 Mesozoic and Cenozoic - ISBN 9781862392649 The Geological Society of London Founded in 1807 the Geological Society of London is the oldest geological society in the world and one of the largest publishers in the Earth sciences. The Society publishes a wide range of high-quality peer-reviewed titles for academics and professionals working in the geosciences and enjoys an enviable international reputation for the quality of its work. The many areas in which we publish in include: -Petroleum geology -Tectonics structural geology and geodynamics -Stratigraphy sedimentology and paleontology -Volcanology magmatic studies and geochemistry -Remote sensing -History of geology -Regional geology guides