News

Castle Rock from Salisbury Crags, Arthur’s Seat, Edinburgh

The Society’s summer excursion programme is now underway, with a range of excellent excursions exploring the geology of central and southern Scotland. The programme includes Wednesday evening excursions close to Edinburgh, and a range of Saturday day excursions. Please book in advance, since numbers are sometimes limited. It is easy to book, just follow the instructions here.

Wednesday 19 April, 7pm Dalmeny Railway Cutting
The disused railway line between Dalmeny and South Queensferry has cuttings that present good exposures of some of the local geology. The volcanic and sedimentary rocks of this area formed early in the Carboniferous Period. We will view some of these layers and explore their relationships.

Tuesday 2 May, 10am–3pm
National Museums Scotland: Visit to the National Museums Collection Centre at Granton and afternoon excursion to Wardie Shore
The National Museums Collection Centre at Granton houses a huge collection of important mineral and fossil samples. This visit will allow small groups to explore in detail elements of the Palaeobiology and Earth Systems collections. The afternoon excursion will visit Wardie Shore, an important historical location for Carboniferous fossil fish.

Wednesday 3 May, 7pm Crichton Kirk, Castle and quarries
Crichton Castle and Kirk are built of local sandstone, which can still be seen in nearby disused quarries. The sandstone was deposited by rivers in the Carboniferous Period, and contains good examples of cross-bedding. Nearby, on the west bank of the River Tyne, the North
Greens Limestone was quarried and burnt in nearby limekilns.

The Society is organising trips to Siccar Point during the Edinburgh International Science Festival. These afternoon coach trips from central Edinburgh take place on 9, 12 and 15 April.

Great opportunity to visit Siccar Point with a geologist: follow the journey of James Hutton, the father of modern geology, from the site of his home in central Edinburgh to the wild coastline at Siccar Point. At this beautiful natural site Hutton’s evidence for deep time can be observed and appreciated. It is a short, easy walk to the viewpoint above Siccar Point. Visiting the Point itself involves a potentially difficult descent. Please wear appropriate clothing and footwear.

Book now – www.sciencefestival.co.uk/event-details/siccar-point-the-abyss-of-time

More information about Siccar Point and James Hutton.

Martin Gilliespie, our next lecture speaker, has an unexpected work commitment overseas, so his colleague Paul Everett is stepping in. Looking forward to an interesting lecture, Building stone in Scotland: Glorious past … uncertain future.

Natural stone has been a favoured building material since the early days of human habitation in Scotland, and is still in fashion for modern architecture. The Scottish building stone industry has bequeathed a rich and diverse legacy of stone-built structures that embody the historic fabric of our cities, dwellings, monuments, places of worship and infrastructure.

Lothian and Borders Geoconservation became concerned about Hugh Miller’s gravestone in the Grange Cemetery, which was becoming difficult to read especially in bright sunshine. Andrew McMillan arranged for the gravestone to be cleaned and re-lettered so that the inscription is readable once again. At the same time we gave some attention to the stone for Hugh’s son (also called Hugh) which sits to the left of Hugh Senior’s stone. Although some of the lettering on Hugh Junior’s stone is too small to re-letter, the first two lines were done and the whole stone was cleaned up. You can see the results in the before and after photographs below. We are grateful for generous funding from Edinburgh U3A Geology Group and The Friends of Hugh Miller.