Land of Mountain and Flood
The Geology and Landforms of Scotland
Written by Alan McKirdy , John Gordon , Roger Crofts
£30.00
281 in stock
Natural history & geology
Reviews
Big and beautifully illustrated, this book is rigorous yet lucid, and written with patriotic pride - a work of more than scientific importance, *****'
Scotsman
About the Book
Scotland is justly famed for its magnificent scenery - mountains, lochs, islands, wild rocky places and sandy beaches. All this is evidence of an exciting geological history which began 3,500 billion years ago and is still continuing. The sheer diversity of Scotland's rocks and landforms are the physical reminders of a fascinating journey through time. They reveal that the land that makes up Scotland today has travelled the world and has not always even belonged to one single continental landmass. At different times, too, continents formed and split apart, ancient volcanoes erupted vast quantities of lava and Ice Age glaciers shaped the landscape. Containing a huge amount of detailed information presented in clear, comprehensible language and enhanced throughtout with specially commissioned illustrations, diagrams and photographs, this is an essential book for anyone interested in the world around them.
The Author
Alan McKirdy
Alan McKirdy has written many popular books and book chapters on geology and related topics and has helped to promote the study of environmental geology in Scotland. He is the author of Set in Stone: The Geology and Landscapes of Scotland and before his retirement he was Head of Knowledge and Information Management at Scottish Natural Heritage. He is now a freelance writer and has given many talks on Scottish geology and landscapes at book festivals and other events across the country.You may also like…
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Paperback | Pub: 06 Apr 2017£6.99An ancient and long-extinct volcano lies at the heart of Scotland’s capital. It roared into life some 350 million years ago and has been a source of fascination since it was first studied in earnest during the Enlightenment by James Hutton,...
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Paperback | Pub: 10 May 2018£6.99The remote archipelago which lies off the north-west coast of Scotland boasts a huge range of contrasting and spectacular land- and seascapes. Lewis is austere, with a featureless peatland core, bounded by dramatic sea cliffs, whilst neighbouring...
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Paperback | Pub: 22 Jun 2017£6.99Argyll and the islands that lie off from the west coast of the Kintyre are some of the most historically resonant places in Scotland. But the rocks beneath tell a story of an even more ancient world that stretches back billions of years....
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Paperback | Pub: 06 Apr 2017£6.99The geology of the Cairngorms was created on a timeline that stretches back hundreds of millions of years. Much of the land is underlain by granite that formed deep within the Earth’s crust and ‘surfaced’ as the overlying layers of...
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Paperback | Pub: 11 Jul 2019£6.99
Longlisted for the Highland Book Prize 2019 The rocks of northern Scotland tell of turbulent events involving continental collisions that unleashed cataclysmic forces, creating a chain of mountains, the remnants of which we see today on both sides...
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Paperback | Pub: 11 Jul 2019£6.99The archipelagos of Orkney and Shetland are the products of some of the most dramatic events which have occurred in the Earth’s history. The Shetlands are the eroded roots of a vast mountain range that once soared to Himalayan heights and extended...
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Paperback | Pub: 22 Jun 2017£6.99Lying off the south-western tip of Mull, the island of Iona has huge significance as the first important centre of Christianity in Scotland. But the Abbey itself is built upon rocks that tell of events of much greater antiquity: the Lewisian...
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Paperback | Pub: 10 May 2018£6.99The Lochaber and Glencoe area is rich in historical associations. It was at Glenfinnan that Bonnie Prince Charlie started his long march southwards to lay claim to the British throne, and Glencoe was the scene of one of the most vicious massacres in...
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Paperback | Pub: 01 Aug 2016£7.99The Isle of Arran dominates the Firth of Clyde. A favourite haunt of holidaymakers, it is also a place of fascination for the geologist, offering a huge variety of rocks that represent a massive slice through geological time. From the ancient bent...
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Paperback | Pub: 01 Aug 2016£7.99The Isle of Skye offers a magical combination of wild land and breath-taking natural beauty. Skye’s geological history involves some of the most ancient rocks on the planet; a grandstand view as the Highlands of Scotland were formed over 400...
