In amongst this pile of rocks along the beach at the bay called
Camas Choire Mhuilinn (Grid Reference NM517630), below Ben Hiant, is a boulder which has an unusual pattern in it. I don't know enough about the geology of the area to be at all sure that I'm right in my interpretation but, if I am, then this area was once a pan.
A pan, in this sense, is an occasional lake in a desert. For most of the time, sometimes for years, it's dry, so dry the mud brought down by the rare floods cracks in a recognisable hexagonal pattern. When the next flood occurs, the cracks are filled with new mud. This photo shows mud cracks in New Mexico (thanks to
Jared on Flickr). I think the Kilchoan boulder shows the same pattern.
If it does - and there are some similar rocks along the end of Ormsaigbeg - then Ardnamurchan, as well as once being a volcano and buried in ice, was also a desert.
In amongst this pile of rocks along the beach at the bay called Camas Choire Mhuilinn (Grid Reference NM517630), below Ben Hiant, is a boulder which has an unusual pattern in it. I don't know enough about the geology of the area to be at all sure that I'm right in my interpretation but, if I am, then this area was once a pan.
A pan, in this sense, is an occasional lake in a desert. For most of the time, sometimes for years, it's dry, so dry the mud brought down by the rare floods cracks in a recognisable hexagonal pattern. When the next flood occurs, the cracks are filled with new mud. This photo shows mud cracks in New Mexico (thanks to Jared on Flickr). I think the Kilchoan boulder shows the same pattern.
If it does - and there are some similar rocks along the end of Ormsaigbeg - then Ardnamurchan, as well as once being a volcano and buried in ice, was also a desert.
On the subject of unusual patterns in the rock, your readers might find the following of interest:
ReplyDeleteAnyone who has had the opportunity to go out with Trevor on one of his excellent fossil walks will no doubt have heard him state his belief that dinosaur footprints will one day be discovered on the Ardnamurchan peninsula. But I can't help feeling that he has missed a trick, for only a few metres off the trail along the shore that Trevor regularly follows is not just a prehistoric footprint, but a near perfect size 10 boot print pressed deep into the rock.
So it may very well be the case that not only was Ardnamurchan once a volcano, buried in ice and a desert, it was also the site of a visit by prehistoric alien tourists. But don't take my word for it, judge the startling evidence for yourself:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25522658@N04/sets/72157624737439820/