south scotland minerals

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Introduction
EDINBURGH - "Cradle of Geology"

East Central Scotland is similar to the west in morphology, with lowland areas interspersed with volcanic rocks forming hills like the Ochils and Pentlands. Edinburgh, the national capital, is located in the region and, like Glasgow, has been moulded by its geology - perhaps more so...

The capital has been baptized as "The Cradle of Geology" and "Hutton's Unconformity", at Siccar Point - a famous landmark in the history of geology is not far away. The city still retains a strong link with geology, with a seismology centre based in the city...

The famous castle, overlooking the city of Edinburgh, sits on a crag and tail structure which combines the effects of volcanism and glaciation. The Castle Rock is a Carboniferous volcanic intrusion as is the neighbouring and equally prominent feature, Arthur's Seat.

Touching on the geology of the region, it is worth mentioning also the deposits of oil shale of Carboniferous age in, and particular to, the Lothian region, to the west of Edinburgh, near Bathgate.

Oil extraction was tested many years ago, but was deemed uneconomic and it will probably remain so.

The area has also revealed some very interesting and important fossils, including some of the earliest recorded reptiles in the geological time frame. One or two of these fossil finds have gained some renown on the international stage.

PYRITE - Goat Quarry, Aberdour, Fife.
Aggregate of interlocking crystals. (specimen 100x75mms).

PYROPE ("Elie Ruby") - Elie Ness, Fife.
A 2mms megacryst on matrix.

Minerals

Like west Central Scotland, coal dominated the mining scene of past years. Similarly, the area also has several, minor mineralizations of copper, lead and other elements and a number of mine/ trial sites.

These locations are mainly centred in and around the Ochil Hills: an area particularly well-known for its agate occurences.

One of these mines has recently produced specimens of barite with the associated secondary copper species, malachite and azurite, the latter a rather uncommon mineral in Scotland.

The mine, Airthrey Hill, is close to Bridge of Allan and the fairly recently newly-titled city of Stirling. The mine supplied the base metal for Scottish coinage ("baw-bees") of a few centuries ago and the word "sterling" is also derived from the city's name.

As is the case with the county of Angus and with the Highlands region, the Ochil Hills is an area where you can try your luck at gold panning too!

Other occurences in this central area include the Hilderston Mine in the Bathgate Hills, near Edinburgh, where a minor nickel/ cobalt and silver mineralization has recorded such species nickeline, native silver and skutterudite, usually in calcite or barite gangue, and also with barytocalcite.

A richer deposit, worked a couple of centuries ago at Alva, Clackmannan, produced, a few years ago, superb, small specimens of skeletal and arborescent groups of native silver crystals. (see gold & silver page)

An interesting find made by Scottish collectors of masses
of crystalline pyrite in Carboniferous shales at Goat Quarry, near Aberdour, in Fife, probably rates as the best for the species to be found in Scotland.

Nearby, fine and delicate pectolite - as white, bladed, crystal sprays forming balls and aggregates - as well as calcite crystals - some with secondary coatings of crystalline calcite/ quartz, are found at Orrock Quarry, Burntisland.

PECTOLITE - Orrock Quarry, Burntisland, Fife.
Radial, fibrous sprays and balls in cavity. (c 95x65mms).

Mention should be made of the pyrope garnet found at Elie Ness. Now very rare, grains have fairly recently been found and later faceted.

The pyrope garnet from here is often referred to as "Elie Ruby".

It is a titanium-rich variety formed in ultrabasic rocks originating deep in the earth's mantle. Most grains/ megacrysts are now weathered out of their matrix.
(see photo above).

Indeed, the igneous rocks of the region supply their fair share of interest to collectors.

Around the Edinburgh - North Berwick - Trapain Law area, pectolite, prehnite and fluorapophyllite (the latter as pyramidal crystals) have been recorded as well as nepheline and sodalite.

QUARTZ - Amethyst - Montrose, Angus.
Glassy crystals infilling a cavity. (spec: 50x40mms).

Farther north, in the former county of Angus and elsewhere on the coast, quartz, including both amethyst and smoky quartz varieties, may be found in the Devonian lavas of the area.

However, these finds are perhaps overlooked by the associated occurences of agates, in sites throughout the Sidlaw Hills, around Dundee and the Tay Estuary.
(see agates page).

Inland and straddling the Highlands region, there are also occurences of garnet, kyanite and diopside and other silicates - though not perhaps always well-crystallized...

References/ Further Reading

BOOKS - (Both books listed below may be purchased via Amazon).

Minerals of Scotland - Past & Present. (A. Livingstone) (NMS Publishing Ltd) (2003).
"Bonanzas & Jacobites: The Story of the Silver Glen" by Dr. S. Moreton. (NMS Enterprises).

Mineralogical Record
vol. 27, no. 6; pp 405-414. "The Alva Silver Mine, Silver Glen, Alva, Clackmannan, Scotland." S. Moreton (1996).

UK Journal of Mines & Minerals (UKJMM)
vol. 11 pp 8-10 "Pyrite from Goat Quarry (Aberdour, Fife)." S. Ingram, J.G. Todd & D.G. Anderson (1992).
vol. 21 pp 9-27 "Twenty Years in Minerals - Scotland". D.I.Green, J.G. Todd (2001).
vol. 27 pp 29-35 "A Mineralogical Tour of the Kingdom of Fife". S. Moreton (2006).