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Sites:
Hutton's
Rock at Salisbury Crags
(Other Location in Edinburgh is Hutton's
Section at Salisbury Crags)
Close to Hutton's Section, in a disused quarry, on the path below Salisbury
Crags, stands an isolated outcrop known as 'Hutton's Rock'. The rock illustrates
a vein of iron ore (haematite) several centimetres thick, that runs through
the teschenite rock of the Salisbury Crags sill intrusion. The vein formed
as super-heated solutions rich in iron, percolated through fissures in the
cooling rock mass.
The rock is of considerable historical significance, as James
Hutton is reputed to have requested that this unusual and interesting
geological feature, be saved from quarrying. The site is the earliest known
example of geological conservation in the world.
Hutton's Rock - the earliest known example of
geological conservation. © Colin MacFadyen/Scottish Natural Heritage.
Further reading:
McAdam, A.D. & Clarkson, E.N.K. 1996. Lothian Geology
- An Excursion Guide. Scottish Academic Press, Edinburgh.
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