Sandstone and Shale
Introduction
The photograph on this page of Sandstone and Shale by Anne Burgess as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
There are currently over 7.5m images from over 14,400 individuals and you can help contribute to the project by visiting https://www.geograph.org.uk
Sandstone and Shale
Image: © Anne Burgess Taken: 26 Aug 2013
One advantage of cuttings is that you get to see what the rock looks like! The two thick sandstone beds show cross-bedding, and they are fine and even-grained, suggesting deposition in gently flowing water. The lamininated layer in between may reflect an interlude of swifter flow. These rocks belong to the Carboniferous, about 300 million years ago, when what is now Scotland was at the Equator, and were formed in marginal coastal plains with lakes and swamps periodically inundated by the sea; or in estuaries, deltas, and shallow seas.
Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0
Image Location
Latitude
55.985014
Longitude
-3.790166