Localities

Here is list of localities with excellent exposures of the different rock types to be found on Arran. When visiting these sites it is best to equip yourself with the appropriate Ordinance Survey map (either 1:50,000 or 1: 10,000). Specialist geological Maps are also available from the British Geological Survey. You can also find maps on the www, by typing in names, postcodes, or grid references at sites such as www.mapquest.co.uk, or www.streetmap.co.uk.

1- Glen Rosa: conglomerate and sandstone of Old Red sandstone Age; excellent glaciated valley;Northern Granite.

2- Corrie: entirety of Carboniferous exposed along shore; lava flows, sandstone,
limestone and mudstone; fossiliferous; Permian desert sands.

3- North Glen Sannox: Highland Border Complex -pillow lavas, agglomerate and shales; suspected remnants of an ancient ocean floor. (NR 995469)

4- Glen Sannox: Baryte mines (NS 006456)

5- Kildonan Shore: dyke swarms intruded in to Triassic sediments

6- Glenloig Farm and Windmill Hill: Central Ring Complex volcanics and foundered blocks of Jurassic and Cretaceous (NR 983351).

7- King’s Cave: raised beach with caves in cliffs of Triassic sandstone (NR 884307)

8- Judd’s Dykes: excellent examples of composite intrusions in Triassic and Permian sandstones and mudstones, exposed along the shore from Tormore to Blackwaterfoot.

9- Drumadoon: site of massive 30m tall quartz-porphyry sill, intruded into Triassic marls and shales, forming a prominent cliff feature. Excellent columnar-jointing.

10- Hutton’s Unconformity: near mouth of Alt nan Beithe, northeast of Newton Point, Lochranza. Perhaps the most famous unconformity in the world.

11- Imachar: on the coast excellent exposures of folded Dalradian schists can be seen (NR 903488).

12- Catacol: slate quarries and schists of Dalradian age and raised, terraced, beaches (NR 911487)

13- Glenashdale Falls: site of massive Tertiary sill overlying softer Triassic sediments causing a spectacular waterfall.

14- Fallen Rocks: this locality shows a landslip of Devonian sandstone which occurred in the 1700’s, and can be found on the east coast roughly one and a half km northwest of North Sannox.