Michaela Perryman News :: Views from Nockan Crag Scotland

Knockan Crag is renowned internationally due to the important geological feature that was first identified there. It is also one of the most important sites for understanding how the landscape of Northern Britain was formed. The rocks at and around Knockan Crag also record the last 3000 million years of history for the landmass that we now know as Scotland. Its Gaelic name is Creag a Chnocain, meaning crag of the small hill, and is very suggestive of the rugged and wonderful scenery of the area. Global processes have been at work to create the unique rock formations and spectacular landscapes at this historic site. It was the debate about what had happened at Knockan Crag that helped scientific thinking move on a step when it was realised that rocks could be moved sideways by enormous forces. The feature that was formed by this movement, called a thrust, has now been recognised in rocks around the world, including those in the Himalayas and the Alps. At Knockan Crag, the Moine thrust has resulted in an unusual situation where older Moine rocks have come to lie over much younger rocks. (http://www.knockan-crag.co.uk/about.asp)

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