The Palaeogene Volcanic Districts Of Scotland

Regional Geology Guides provide a broad view and interpretation of the geology of a region.

This 4th edition of The Geology of Scotland is greatly expanded from the previous edition with 34 authors contributing to 20 chapters. A new format has been adopted to provide a different perspective on the geology of Scotland. A brief introduction is followed by a chapter outlining some of the important historical aspects that in the 19th century placed Scottish geologists in the forefront of a new science. Scotland is constructed from a number of terranes that finally combined in roughly their present positions prior to about 410 million years ago. Thus the geology of each terrane is described up the time of amalgamation, providing chapters on the Southern Uplands, Midland Valley, Highlands, Grampian and Hebridean terranes. At the end of this section, a brief synthesis summarizes the events that resulted in the amalgamation of the various terranes into the present configuration. Traditional practice is followed in the description of the Old Red Sandstone, Carboniferous, Permo-Trias, Jurassic, Cretaceous, tertiary and Quaternary strata. A separate chapter covers Tertiary igneous rocks. An attempt is made to tell the story of the geological evolution of Scotland, rather than catalogue all areas and formations. Priority is given to the onshore geology, encouraging the reader to go into the field and visit some of the world-class geology on show in Scotland. The chapters are broadly-based, attempting to integrate the sedimentary and igneous histories, and summarize changes in palaeogeography and palaeoenvironments. Economic aspects are covered with chapters on Metalliferous Minerals, Bulk Resources, Coal and Hydrocarbons. A new departure is the chapter on aspects of Environmental Geology and sustainability. Additionally, this publication contains a colour section of 32 plates, illustrating aspects of Scottish Geology, as well as a coloured geological map of Scotland.

This Volcanic Isle explores the rich geological history of the British Isles over the past 66 million years, since the disappearance of the dinosaurs. From the Isle of Wight needles to the Giant's causeway to the Sticklepath faultline in Devon, this book recounts how earthquakes and eruptions, plumes and plate boundaries, built the British Isles.

There are over 1300 active volcanoes worldwide and many more dormant or extinct. Some are developed as tourist destinations; others are not, but have great potential. Mount Fuji in Japan attracts over 100 million visitors per year and has immense cultural and spiritual significance, while a number of volcanic areas in national parks, for example Teide in Spain, Yellowstone in the US, Vesuvius in Italy and Tongariro in New Zealand, attract between one to four million tourists each year. In the last decade the designation of nearly 50 geoparks around the world has highlighted their potential for tourism development. This book provides the first global review and assessment of the sustainable use of active and dormant volcanic and geothermal environments for geotourism. The volcano-based tourism sector is further augmented through a closely linked range of geothermal resources and attractions, such as geysers and hot springs, which are discussed in detail throughout individual chapters covering all key volcanic and geothermal regions around the world. It is shown that volcano and geothermal tourism is a subsection of nature-based geotourism and incorporates a variety of other tourism categories such as adventure tourism, extreme tourism, ecotourism, green tourism, educational tourism, and hot spring tourism. This comprehensive book covers the most important issues of this growing tourism sector whilst incorporating relevant global research, making it an essential resource for all in the field. Includes colour plates.

Scotland's mountains and glens retain the secrets of the long and frequently violent geological history that has gone into their making. Volcanoes have played a major role in the creation of Scotland and while the youngest, a mere sixty million years old, were responsible for much of the scenic splendour of the Inner Hebrides, the rocks composing many of the famous Scottish landforms as, for example, those of Glencoe and the Edinburgh district are also the direct result of volcanism. Volcanoes and the Making of Scotland explores back in time from the most recent examples to volcanoes of the obscure Precambrian times which left their signature in the ancient rocks of the far north-west. Geographically the book ranges across all of Scotland from Shetland to the Borders. Reflecting current research into Scotland's geology, the author also speculates as to the climate, geography and ecology of the long-gone landscapes in which the volcanoes of differing ages were created and destroyed. The book is extensively illustrated with maps, sketches, cross-sections and photographs and relates what can currently be seen in the worn-down remains of Scotland's old volcanoes to active analogues around the world. This book vividly brings life and meaning to what the layman would otherwise regard as cold and incomprehensible rocks.