BS: talk on Scotland's geology. in 9 hours

Subject: BS: talk on Scotland's geology. in 9 hours
From: leeneia
Date: 21 Jun 18 - 10:50 AM

I happen to live near one of the world's great libraries, the Linda Hall Library of Science. At 7 pm tonight, they are hosting a lecture on the geology of Scotland. It is aimed at the general public.

It will be webcast, so you can watch it on your computer. Here's the link with info on how to watch:

https://www.lindahall.org/events/category/lectures/

If you have ever visited the Highlands and wondered how they got there, it will be a good thing to watch.

Subject: RE: BS: talk on Scotland's geology. in 9 hours
From: Jos
Date: 21 Jun 18 - 11:43 AM

Has anyone any idea what time that would be in the UK?

Subject: RE: BS: talk on Scotland's geology. in 9 hours
From: Iains
Date: 21 Jun 18 - 11:54 AM

US Central Time is 5 hours behind GMT

Subject: RE: BS: talk on Scotland's geology. in 9 hours
From: leeneia
Date: 21 Jun 18 - 12:24 PM

The talk is at 7 PM Central Time (Us) so I guess that would be midnight in the UK. However, I'm pretty sure it will be archived, so it can be seen another day. Thanks for asking.

Subject: RE: BS: talk on Scotland's geology. in 9 hours
From: Jos
Date: 21 Jun 18 - 02:18 PM

Thanks, I'll try to stay awake.

Subject: RE: BS: talk on Scotland's geology. in 9 hours
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Jun 18 - 02:31 PM

Thanks! I love looking at the northern end of the British Isles using Google Earth, it's like looking at some of the area around Hudson's Bay.

Subject: RE: BS: talk on Scotland's geology. in 9 hours
From: Senoufou
Date: 21 Jun 18 - 02:38 PM

I did a course on this subject many years ago. It covered the ancient volcanoes (Edinburgh Castle is built on an extinct one), the U-shaped glacial valleys and the basalt formations around Fingal's Cave on Staffa. A very fascinating subject, and quite complex.

Subject: RE: BS: talk on Scotland's geology. in 9 hours
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 21 Jun 18 - 05:44 PM

There are sort of diagonal lines crossing Scotland and N Ireland, so you again get the basalt columns at the Giant's Causeway in N.Ireland, all on the same diagonal line as Staffa.
There are a series of "volcanic plugs" across E Scotland, of which Edinburgh Castle Rock is one, then there's N Berwick law and so on.
My brother-in-law is a geologist, from N Ireland originally but long-time resident in Scotland, and he has a big geological map of the UK up in his dining room!

Subject: RE: BS: talk on Scotland's geology. in 9 hours
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 21 Jun 18 - 06:16 PM

Here's the blicky from Leeneia's link:
https://www.lindahall.org/events/category/lectures/

Having followed the link it's more about NORTHERN Scotland than the places we were talking about, but I'll try to see it or listen in.

Subject: RE: BS: talk on Scotland's geology. in 9 hours
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 21 Jun 18 - 07:18 PM

If you want the alpha and omega on Scottish geology, buy yourself a copy of Malcolm Rider's book "Hutton's Arse." It's the only book I've ever read end-to-end then immediately read it again.

Subject: RE: BS: talk on Scotland's geology. in 9 hours
From: Iains
Date: 21 Jun 18 - 07:42 PM

My geological mapping area was Durness and Faraid Head back in my student days.
The youngest rocks were Cambro-Ordivician limestones and the oldest rocks were old and severely messed up. Some years later I went back to the Locharron area drilling for base metal.

Subject: RE: BS: talk on Scotland's geology. in 9 hours
From: Gutcher
Date: 22 Jun 18 - 05:54 AM

Read Hugh Miller--19th.C. working mason, geologist, author, newspaper editor--"old Red Sandstone" "My Schools and Schoolmasters" etc..

Subject: RE: BS: talk on Scotland's geology. in 9 hours
From: leeneia
Date: 22 Jun 18 - 09:09 AM

Hi, Gutcher. My prof mentioned Hugh Miller and "The Old Red Sandstone" back in 1972. I'll see if I can find the book.

I believe the lecture has been archived and can be found at lindahall.org

Subject: RE: BS: talk on Scotland's geology. in 9 hours
From: Gutcher
Date: 22 Jun 18 - 12:00 PM

Hello Leeneia, another geologist and writer to look out for is Archibald Geikie. His Scottish Reminiscences are an excelent read.

Subject: RE: BS: talk on Scotland's geology. in 9 hours
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 22 Jun 18 - 01:25 PM

I spent many a night at Durness youth hostel (usually kipping on the floor) in my misspent youth. Dunno whether it would still be there but there was a craft village at Balnakeil which was very hippyfied in those days. I know the Faraid Peninsula and passed many a happy hour studying its flora. The Primula scotica was a special delight, right at the tip of the headland, and we watched porpoises from a cliff top that had frog orchids growing at our feet. I also sought out the places with Durness limestone (thus misnamed, I'm informed) outcrops as they had special assemblages of calcicolous plants, including the rare dark red helleborine and lots of mountain avens. But quite possibly my numero uno location was the Smoo Cave Hotel, in which I quaffed many a pint and famously teamed up with a bloke from Yorkshire in order to beat the locals at darts.

Subject: RE: BS: talk on Scotland's geology. in 9 hours
From: Iains
Date: 22 Jun 18 - 04:25 PM

Steve I am surprised you did not mention the puffins. Nasty little things perpetually divebombing a person as they traversed the cliffs.

Subject: RE: BS: talk on Scotland's geology. in 9 hours
From: Donuel
Date: 22 Jun 18 - 04:53 PM

Is the show about Scotland splitting off of the Allegheny Mountain chain in North America and drifting to its present location?

Subject: RE: BS: talk on Scotland's geology. in 9 hours
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 22 Jun 18 - 06:07 PM

Are you sure you don't mean arctic terns, Iains? They're the notorious dive-bombers up there. I didn't see them doing that at Durness but walking across the causeway at nearby Tongue was a bloody nightmare!

Subject: RE: BS: talk on Scotland's geology. in 9 hours
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 22 Jun 18 - 07:34 PM

Arctic skuas and great skuas, particularly the latter, will dive bomb you like buggery if you get near their breeding grounds, or even just for a laugh. Wear a crash helmet.

Subject: RE: BS: talk on Scotland's geology. in 9 hours
From: Iains
Date: 23 Jun 18 - 05:06 AM

Steve there used to be a thriving colony of puffins at the end of the head, near the old rotor station. Nearly 50 years since I was last there so it may well have changed considerably. Scrabbling up and down the cliffs at the tail end of their breeding season was probably not well received. I used a temporary site office in Dover harbour many years later and there the seagulls were a menace. A combination of divebombing coupled with a loose bowel action. Deadly!

Subject: RE: BS: talk on Scotland's geology. in 9 hours
From: Gutcher
Date: 23 Jun 18 - 08:18 AM

Following my annual visit to a sister in Wick I always travelled along the North coast to Durness, can"t say I have seen any puffins on that journey. The nearest colony seen has been at Ness on Lewis.
Will not be able to check this year as I put my one ton camper van into the front of a forty ton lorry last year.

Subject: RE: BS: talk on Scotland's geology. in 9 hours
From: Iains
Date: 23 Jun 18 - 02:00 PM

http://whatsonhighlands.com/listings/1228-faraid-head-puffin-walk

Subject: RE: BS: talk on Scotland's geology. in 9 hours
From: Iains
Date: 23 Jun 18 - 02:03 PM

http://www.birdrs.net/2013/12/puffins-on-faraid-head-off-end-of.html

Subject: RE: BS: talk on Scotland's geology. in 9 hours
From: Gutcher
Date: 23 Jun 18 - 03:29 PM

Even before my accident of last year my walking was limited and Faraid-Head was then a step too far.
Fifteen feet is now my limit between seats.

In the second link above Dr Bishop makes play of the word "Shelfie".
A survey at the end of the 19th.C. in Galloway, South West Scotland, gave the "Shilfie" as the most common bird in that area.

Subject: RE: BS: talk on Scotland's geology. in 9 hours
From: Gutcher
Date: 24 Jun 18 - 01:55 PM

Finally managed to pin down the web-cast of a most interesting lecture.
Quite fitting that it started in Fortingal where grows the Fortingal Yew, supposedly the oldest living tree in Europe.

Subject: RE: BS: talk on Scotland's geology. in 9 hours
From: leeneia
Date: 25 Jun 18 - 06:52 PM

I'm glad you found it, Gutcher. It's not that easy to get to.

Donuel, when northern Scotland gets trapped between America, Greenland and Europe, it's hard to tell exactly what's going on. Let's just say that for the rocks, it was all very stressful.

It's interesting to learn that the top of Scotland and of Ireland came from entirely different places than the lands to the south.

Subject: RE: BS: talk on Scotland's geology. in 9 hours
From: FreddyHeadey
Date: 29 Jun 18 - 06:27 PM

play video again page

https://livestream.com/lindahall/PlateTectonics 
but I couldn't load the video.

FB page with video
https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10160506276005298&id=178102015297 

Subject: RE: BS: talk on Scotland's geology. in 9 hours
From: leeneia
Date: 30 Jun 18 - 01:27 AM

The first one started okay for me, Freddie. The second one is good, but it's silent for the first 2 and a half minutes. During that time, the president was asking for volunteers to test hearing assist devices that the library was considering for purchase. I guess they decided not to broadcast that.

They also promoted the upcoming program on Frankenstein - not considered a true science talk, but they are doing it anyway.

Subject: RE: BS: talk on Scotland's geology. in 9 hours
From: Senoufou
Date: 30 Jun 18 - 03:52 AM

When I accompanied my husband up to Scotland on his first visit (many, many years ago) he was absolutely enchanted. We visited my sister in Perthshire, then spent several days in Edinburgh. He gazed and gazed at the castle, an also at Arthur's Seat. (He'd never seen even a small hill before)

But I foolishly told him they were both extinct volcanoes.
He was terrified. Every morning when we emerged from our very central hotel he anxiously looked up 'to see if there was any smoke coming out'. And when we visited Dynamic Earth at Holyrood (where they have excellent displays of geology and the early formation of the Earth) he was very frightened, even though I explained that all this happened many millions of years ago.

Outside at Holyrood, of course, one is at the foot of the Crags and Arthur's Seat, and he hurried up the Royal Mile as fast as his legs would carry him. He spent the entire holiday wondering when we'd be engulfed in molten lava!

Nowadays however he's got used to the idea, and is thrilled when the little Dornier aeroplane descends over Edinburgh and he can see these 'dangerous' features from above.

Subject: RE: BS: talk on Scotland's geology. in 9 hours
From: leeneia
Date: 02 Jul 18 - 12:56 AM

I'm glad to hear he's no longer afraid, Senoufou.

After the lecture, someone at the library asked if those very volcanoes could become active again. The answer was no, because the rocks under Scotland are not "moving" any more. I think that means there is no more subduction or rifting.

Subject: RE: BS: talk on Scotland's geology. in 9 hours
From: Iains
Date: 02 Jul 18 - 11:56 AM

The tertiary volcanics were the last event in Scotland.
https://www.geolsoc.org.uk/Plate-Tectonics/Chap4-Plate-Tectonics-of-the-UK/Tertiary-Volcanic-Province

Interestingly the Older Granitic rocks are being studied for their hydrothermal potential, although the bulk of the data for geothermal gradient is derived from sedimentary oil exploration basins. For the depths required to gain the temperature benefit and necessary permeability to make any system viable it is likely fracking would be required. The temperature gradient is quite variable, I spent many years looking at the data from all over. I was on a borehole in the NW highlands where we encountered artesian water. The flow was strong enough to kick a couple of hundred feet of drillpipe out of the hole and the water was distinctly warm. Such events keep you quick on your feet as well.

Subject: RE: BS: talk on Scotland's geology. in 9 hours
From: leeneia
Date: 05 Jul 18 - 11:51 AM

I agree, Iains, that is all very interesting. I'm glad you escaped the blowout okay.

Thanks for the link.

Subject: RE: BS: talk on Scotland's geology. in 9 hours
From: Jack Campin
Date: 05 Jul 18 - 12:48 PM

Mull is particularly interesting - used to have a volcano the size of Fuji (centred on present-day Salen) which blew up in one gigantic bang. I know someone who specializes in Mull geology - last Christmas we got a card which was a photo of rocks he'd found on Iona, fragments of the Moon blasted off by meteorite impact.

Somewhere there is a warehouse, called the Core Store when it was in southwest Edinburgh (now the site of an Aldi) which contains all the core samples taken from the North Sea by oil test drilling. Thousands of cylinders of rock a few inches across and about a mile long, so you can take a map reference and a depth and see exactly what they found at that point. One of those rooms that would make for a baffling "what are they doing here?" photo.