The Lochaber area in the Highlands of Scotland became Scotland’s second European Geopark in the spring of 2007. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has also designated Lochaber as a Global Geopark. The awards recognise not only the outstanding Earth Heritage of the area but also that an appropriate organisation exists to promote this heritage for the benefit of the local community.

Lochaber is famous for its spectacular scenery, which includes Britain’s highest mountain, Ben Nevis. The Parallel Roads of Lochaber are also internationally famous. However the area has such a wealth of exceptional geological features it was decided that the whole of Lochaber should be included in the geopark. The decision to apply for geopark status for Lochaber was made at a public meeting in Fort William in January 2004.

 

Loch Leven

Grey Corries (quartzite)

The Lochaber area stretches from Invergarry in the north to Rannoch Moor in the south and from Glen Spean in the east to the Small Isles of Canna, Eigg, Muck and Rum in the west. The story behind some of the local scenery has been described in a set of Geotrail leaflets produced by Lochaber Geopark Association – a community based company set up in 2006 to promote the geopark. The Geotrails describe road and ferry trips in Ardnamurchan, Glen Coe, Glen Nevis, Glen Roy, Loch Leven, Morvern, Road to the Isles and The Small Isles.

 

 

What makes the Geopark special?

 

Lochaber Geopark is unique among European Geoparks because it has a geological record that includes not only the creation of a huge mountain chain by the collision of giant plates, but also the dramatic volcanic activity associated with the much later plate rifting when Greenland and Europe drifted apart.

Palaeogene dike near Lochaline

 

Sanna Bay – Ardnamurchan

The igneous rocks formed when the Caledonian Mountains were created include some extraordinary collapse structures called calderas. The road through Glen Coe runs right across a deeply eroded ancient caldera. It is astonishing that the rocks now forming the summit of Ben Nevis collapsed more than 600m to form a similar caldera around 400 million years ago. These calderas are the inspiration for Lochaber Geopark’s logo.

Ben Nevis caldera (SNH)



Ben Nevis 2

In the 18 th century lead ore was mined near Strontian. A new mineral was also discovered there, which the chemist Adair Crawford named Strontianite after the village. It was from this mineral that the element Strontium was first isolated by Sir Humphrey Davy around 1807.

The much younger igneous rocks found in the western part of Lochaber began to form during the Palaeogene some 60 million years ago. The layered ultrabasic intrusion on Rum is of especial interest, but there are many other fascinating features dating from this period. The distinctive terraced landscape in the south of Morvern is formed from flood basalts. The spectacular igneous centre in Ardnamurchan has an obvious circular structure best seen from the air. The prominent landmark called An Sgurr on Eigg is built of a rock called pitchstone and at 55 million years old is the youngest volcanic rock preserved in Scotland.

An Sgurr

An Sgurr

The final sculpting of the landscape took place over the last 2 million years when large glaciers built up and melted away again many times in a series of glacial and interglacial episodes. Lochaber is a classic area in which to study features formed by glacial erosion such as corries, arêtes, U-shaped glens and hanging valleys. The Parallel Roads of Lochaber were formed during the most recent glacial episode which ended some 12,000 years ago. They mark the levels of ice-damned lakes which drained away when the ice melted back.

Glen Roy (middle and upper roads)

Early man moved north as the ice retreated. Around 9,000 years ago the inhabitants of Kinloch on Rum made stone tools from the agates they found on Bloodstone Hill.

Lochaber Geopark's website contains information about Lochaber's landscape as well as things to do and places to stay and to eat. There is also an interactive map detailing the geology of Lochaber, a gallery of photographs, details of local services and travel information as well as information on news and events in Lochaber. If you look under 'Other Attractions' it is even possible to view a video of a thin section slide rotating!

Enquiries about the geopark should be addressed to info@lochabergeopark.org.uk.

Glen Coe

Ben Nevis

Grey Corries (quartzite)

Grey Corries (quartzite)

All photos copyright Noel Williams

Diagram of Ben Nevis caldera supplied by SNH with permission.

Logo of Lochaber Geopark supplied by Lochaber Geopark Association.

Logo of European Geoparks Network supplied by EGN