Knockan Crag Stone Ball, Globe Sculpture. National Nature Reserve. Creag a Chnocain Tearmann Nadair, North-west Highlands, Scotland, UK.
The North West Highlands Geopark is a geopark in the Scottish Highlands. Awarded UNESCO geopark staus in 2004, it features some of the oldest rocks in Europe, around 3,000 million years old. The park contains many notable geological features, such as the Moine Thrust Belt and Smoo Cave. Knockan Crag (Knockan Cliff) in Assynt, Scotland is one of the top Earth science sites in Scotland. It is recognised worldwide as the place where scientists first understood the nature of Thrust Tectonics - a basic principle of geology. From studying the rocks at the crag they realised that forces deep within the Earth can cause great masses of rock to slide up and over much younger rock. The Moine Thrust Belt which runs through the crag had puzzled geologists in the 19th century when they found that older rocks were seen to be lying on top of younger rocks, a situation they could not easily explain at that time. Finally in 1907 Ben Peach and John Horne were able to explain the phenomenon by the 'Thrust Fault' theory between tectonic plates. Their understanding of this led to crucial, early developments in the field of structural geology. Similar thrusts have now been recognised in rocks around the world, including those in the Alps and the Himalayas which is currently being pushed out over India. It may be worthwhile to note that about 500 millions year ago Scotland along with parts of Greenland and North America were at the South pole. Due to continental drift the land mass moved north crossing the equator and it is estimated that around 410 million years ago union of Scotland with England took place. Later about 60 million years ago Scotland, and Europe as a whole drifted away from North America
Size: 5120px × 3413px
Location: Knockan Crag National Nature Reserve (NNR), Wester Ross, Scotland, UK
Photo credit: © MediaWorldImages / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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