Sunday, April 3, 2016

Geologic History Of Scotland

In the slow Precambrian Era in addition to into the Cambrian Period, the basement stone of Scotland was purpose of proto-North America, having accreted to that Continent equally a serial of exotic terranes.  The Iapetus Ocean separated this continental volume from that of England in addition to Western Europe.

Then, virtually 450 1 one 1000 thousand years agone (MYA), the Iapetus Ocean unopen in addition to the 2 continents collided, triggering the Caledonian Orogeny; much later, virtually 150 MYA, the Atlantic Ocean opened in addition to Scotland remained amongst Europe.  Today, ancient rocks that preceded the Caledonian Orogeny underlie most of Scotland simply surface primarily across the Western Islands in addition to the Highlands; the latter share is divided into the Northwest Highlands in addition to the Grampian Mountains past times the Great Glen Fault.  As these Highlands crumpled upward, volcanism, erosion in addition to displacement of emplaced metamorphic crust produced the complicated geology of that region.  South of the Highlands Boundary Fault, the Central Lowlands stand upwards for a Rift Valley, characterized past times Paleozoic sediments, volcanic intrusions in addition to to a greater extent than recent glacial deposits.  Finally, the Southern Uplands, bordering England, are comprised of uplifted in addition to eroded Silurian crust from the Iapetus Ocean.

Acting on this underlying mosaic of Precambrian in addition to Paleozoic bedrock, the Pleistocene Glaciers (1.8 1 one 1000 thousand to 10 one 1000 years ago) plowed downward the higher peaks, gouged out canyons in addition to valleys in addition to and hence left behind layers of till equally they receded northward.  In addition, their meltwaters scoured the terrain in addition to rising seas drowned the coastline, separating the western in addition to northern islands from the Scottish mainland. 

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