bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Biostratigraphy, palaeobiogeography and morphology of the Llandovery (Silurian) graptolites
Campograptus lobiferus
(M’Coy) and
Campograptus harpago
(Törnquist)
Authors: Chopey-Jones Anna , Williams Mark , Zalasiewicz Jan
Published: January 2010

Synopsis

The surviving type material of
Campograptus lobiferus
(M’Coy, 1850) from the
convolutus
Biozone (mid-Llandovery) of the Birkhill Shales Formation is redescribed. The material is from the Moffat and Beattock Bridge district of the Southern Uplands, Scotland, but the exact location is unknown. Comparison of
Campograptus lobiferus
with surviving type material of the closely related
Campograptus harpago
(Törnquist, 1899) suggests that they may be discriminated by thecal morphology: in
harpago
the uniformly tubular metatheca grows approximately at right angles to the rhabdosome before bending back through 180° so that the aperture faces dorsally; whereas in
lobiferus
the metatheca is initially broader and more triangulate and the aperture faces proximally or proximo-dorsally.
Campograptus lobiferus
occurs in the
leptotheca, convolutus
and lower
sedgwickii
biozones of the Llandovery, whereas the rarer
harpago
is most common in the upper part of the
convolutus
Biozone, perhaps ranging into the lower
sedgwickii
Biozone. Welsh populations of
C. lobiferus
(although not those from Anglesey) show consistently more slender morphologies than the Scottish type material, possibly as a result of geographical or ecophenotypic variation.
C. lobiferus
had global distribution, whereas
C harpago
seems limited to the Avalonia, Baltica and possibly Perunica palaeocontinents of the Silurian. The morphological similarity of the metatheca of
C harpago
and that of the younger Llandovery (
crenulata-spiralis
graptolite biozones)
Lapworthograptus grayae
(Lapworth) demonstrates convergent evolution.
Holocene relative sea-level change in the lower Nith valley and estuary
Authors: Smith David. E. , Haggart B. Andrew , Cullingford Robin A. , Tipping Richard M. , Wells James M. , Mighall Tim M. , Dawson Sue
Published: January 2010

Synopsis

Detailed morphological, lithostratigraphical and biostratigraphical studies in the lower Nith valley and estuary, Scotland, disclose evidence for changing relative sea levels during the Holocene. The Main Postglacial Transgression was in progress in the area around
c.
7500
14
C years bp (8350 cal. years
bp
) to
c.
7800
14
C years
bp
(
c
. 8600 cal. years
bp
), perhaps by
c.
7675
14
C years
bp
(
c.
8490 cal. years
bp
); relative sea levels fell briefly after
c.
7200
14
C years
bp
(
c
. 8020 cal. years
bp
); then resumed their rise after
c.
7000
14
C years
bp
(
c.
7800 cal. years
bp
) and culminated by
c.
5900
14
C years
bp
(
c.
6720 cal. years
bp
) reaching the Main Postglacial Shoreline, the evidence for which is widespread in the lower Nith valley. Subsequently, relative sea levels may have fluctuated, modifying or exceeding Main Postglacial Shoreline features along the estuary coastline before falling to a lower shoreline and then falling farther to reach present levels at
c.
1760
14
C years
bp
(
c
. 1800 cal. years
bp
), after which there is no evidence for relative sea-level change in the area. This sequence is considered broadly comparable with sequences recorded at other sites along the northern shore of the Solway Firth, in particular confirming evidence for a fluctuation in the Main Postglacial Transgression and for the age of the Main Postglacial Shoreline.
Late Devonian–Carboniferous tectonic evolution within the Firth of Forth, Midland Valley; as revealed from 2D seismic reflection data
Authors: Ritchie J. D. , Johnson H. , Browne M. A. E. , Monaghan A. A.
Published: January 2010

Synopsis

Results of integrated seismic mapping, within the Firth of Forth in the offshore Midland Valley of Scotland, are presented and illustrate aspects of the subsurface structure and tectonic evolution of the Upper Devonian to Carboniferous succession. Evidence for three main phases of tectonic activity has been recognized: (1) Late Devonian to Dinantian fault-controlled subsidence; (2) basin-wide Silesian subsidence, localized inversion and growth folding; (3) Late Silesian dextral transtensional and transpressional strike-slip faulting. During the first phase of tectonic activity, the NNE-trending Mid Forth Fault is interpreted to represent a Late Devonian to Dinantian extensional fault, with a small, mainly Dinantian depocentre developed in the hangingwall block that has subsequently been inverted during Silesian times. A major Late Devonian to Dinantian depocentre also occurs in the hangingwall block of the NE-trending offshore continuation of the Crossgatehall Fault, although it remains unclear whether this mainly Dinantian depocentre was developed during pull-apart as a result of extension or transtensional strike-slip fault movement. The NNE-trending Leven Syncline and Mid Forth Anticline within the hangingwall block of the Mid Forth Fault are interpreted as Silesian synsedimentary growth folds that formed during the second phase of tectonic activity. The peak of this activity occurred during intra-Westphalian B to Westphalian C times. In the third phase, the ENE-trending Inchkeith Fault Zone is interpreted as a Late Silesian transtensional–transpressional strike-slip fault that dextrally offsets the axial trace of the Leven Syncline. Evidence from the Firth of Forth could provide support for regional tectonic models involving mainly dextral strike-slip fault activity during Devonian–Carboniferous times, or mainly sinistral strike-slip during Devonian to Early Carboniferous followed by dextral strike-slip during Late Carboniferous times, for the development of the Upper Devonian and Carboniferous succession. However, the latter model is preferred as it provides the more convincing explanation for our interpretation that the NNE-trending Mid Forth Fault represents a Late Devonian to Dinantian extensional or transtensional fault that was inverted during Silesian times. This inversion may therefore reflect a major change in the regional stress field.
The Loch Tay Fault: type section geometry and kinematics
Authors: Treagus J. E.
Published: January 2010

Synopsis

The Loch Tay Fault in the Central Highlands of Scotland is the easternmost of six major faults that transect the Dalradian. Examination of the limited exposure along the sub-vertical fault walls in the type area demonstrates that it has undergone a history of left-lateral strike-slip as well as dip-slip. Evidence from the displacement of formation boundaries and of fold traces shows that the fault has undergone a finite history of 6.5–7.5 km of left-lateral strike-slip and a dip-slip, down to the NW, of 750–1000 m in the SW and central area, diminishing to 200 m or less in the NE. A major fault lens to the NW of the main fault (the Braes of Foss Fault Complex) has similarly undergone dip-slip (but down to the SE) and left-lateral strike-slip; however, two fault lenses to the SE of the major fault (the Glen Goulandie Fault Complex and a smaller lens to its SW) and associated splays have undergone right-lateral displacement. Displacements on the Frenich Burn Fault, a minor fault to the east of the Loch Tay Fault, are again dominantly left-lateral with small displacements down to the NW, whereas faults in an adjacent mine pit illustrate that displacements in the country rock are dominantly dip-slip. By analogy with the Tyndrum Fault, the main left-lateral and dip-slip movements are considered to be pre-Devonian, whereas the right-lateral and late extensional movements are interpreted as Carboniferous.
Stratigraphic and palaeoenvironmental significance of microbial carbonates in the Asbian Sandy Craig Formation of Fife
Authors: Guirdham C. , Andrews J. E. , Browne M. A. E. , Dean M. T.
Published: January 2010

Synopsis

This study concentrates on Viséan Strathclyde Group microbial carbonates from the eastern Midland Valley of Scotland. In the largely non-marine Sandy Craig and West Lothian Oil-Shale formations persistent lithostratigraphical marker horizons, such as distinct microbial carbonates, are used to aid correlation of sequences where conventional biostratigraphy is limited to the identification of infrequent marine bands. In the newly described Rosyth core, microbial carbonates above the Burdiehouse Limestone are correlated with microbial horizons at Kingswood (Fife) and Inchkeith (Firth of Forth), a correlation supported by the presence of the bivalve
Curvirimula scotica.
The revised position of the Inchkeith microbial horizon to 20–30 m above the Burdiehouse Limestone contradicts earlier correlations of the Inchkeith sequences with the Burdiehouse Limestone. The microbial carbonates represent littoral and sublittoral zone stromatolites growing in <20 m of water. The best modern analogues are stromatolites forming in East African Rift Valley lakes. These microbial carbonates formed in volcanically isolated shallow sub-basins or in association with delta progradation. Lavas and tuffs provided stable substrates free of clastic sediment for stromatolite nucleation, and their weathering may have enhanced Ca
2+
ion activity to promote carbonate precipitation. These lacustrine microbial carbonates cannot be implicitly linked with climatic events or basin-wide regression as has been proposed for a regionally persistent microbial carbonate below the Burdiehouse Limestone.
Air-fall tuffs in the Southern Highland Group, Dalradian Supergroup, at Birnam, Perthshire
Authors: Batchelor Richard A.
Published: January 2010

Synopsis

Ten ‘brown beds’ representing air-fall tuffs in the Southern Highland Group of the Dalradian Supergroup of Scotland are described for the first time from near Birnam, Perthshire, close to the Highland Boundary Fault. Their composition suggests an origin more silicic than the traditional Dalradian ‘green beds’. Expressions of volcanism in the upper Dalradian are preserved as the Tayvallich (Argyll Group) and Loch Avich (Southern Highland Group) basaltic lavas. The Tayvallich lavas are associated with minor quartz keratophyre intrusions and pink felsic tuffs. On the basis of the currently accepted stratigraphic correlation of the upper Dalradian, the ‘brown beds’ at Birnam would have been derived from eruptions of currently unidentified quartz keratophyric magmas in Southern Highland Group times. Alternatively, if the source of the ‘brown beds’ can be traced to the Tayvallich volcanism, then the upper Dalradian stratigraphy of the Birnam area would need to be revised.
A revised graptolite biostratigraphy for the lower Caradoc (Upper Ordovician) of southern Scotland
Authors: Williams Mark , Rushton Adrian W. A. , Wood Ben , Floyd James D. , Smith Richard , Wheatley Christopher
Published: January 2010

Synopsis

Biostratigraphical evaluation of graptolites from more than 160 localities in the lower Caradoc of southern Scotland does not differentiate a discrete assemblage diagnostic of the
Climacograptus bicornis peltifer
Biozone. The lowermost Caradoc
Nemagraptus gracilis
Biozone is redefined by the partial-range of
N. gracilis
below the appearance of
Climacograptus bicornis
s.l. The succeeding
C. bicornis
Biozone is divisible into (1) a lower Subzone of
Orthograptus apiculatus
and
Dicranograptus ziczac,
identified also by the appearance of
Amplexograptus leptotheca, Dicranograptus tardiusculus
and several other taxa, and (2) an upper Subzone of
Climacograptus wilsoni,
marked by the first appearance of
C. wilsoni. Nemagraptus gracilis
and
Didymograptus
(s.l.)
superstes
range into the lower part of the
apiculatus-ziczac
Subzone, above which is a poorly characterized interval that is approximately equivalent of the
‘peltifer’
Biozone of former usage. The
bicornis
Biozone is the approximate equivalent to the
C. bicornis
Biozone of North America, and, at least in part, of the
foliaceus,
(or
multidens)
Biozone of southern Britain. It is succeeded in Scotland by the
clingani
Biozone.
The origin and tectonic significance of Lewisian- and Torridonian-hosted clastic dykes near Gairloch, NW Scotland
Authors: Jonk R. , Kelly J. , Parnell J.
Published: January 2010

Synopsis

A field and petrographic study of Lewisian- and Torridonian-hosted clastic dykes near Gairloch, NW Scotland indicates that these generally trend NE and align in an up to 1 km wide NE trending fracture zone extending over a distance of approximately 10 km. Clastic dykes are not pure opening mode fractures, but possess a component of horizontal shear displacement (strike-slip) as well. Margins of dykes are sharp and unaltered and clasts of lithified, host sandstones are found within those dykes hosted by the Diabaig and Applecross Formations sandstones. This suggests that fracturing and clastic filling took place when a considerable amount of Torridonian sediment was already deposited and lithified and a source from the upper Torridon Group (Aultbea and/or Cailleach Head Formations) is inferred. We suggest that fracturing within the Lewisian basement and lithified lower Torridon Group (Diabaig and Applecross Formations) sediments took place under the influence of an extensional strike-slip regime causing forceful downward intrusion of water and sediment due to: (a) suction of water from the Torridonian sediments into the fractures created in the underlying, dry basement, and (b) loading of unlithified sediments on top of fractures in the lithified lower Torridon Group (Diabaig and Applecross Formations) strata.
The use of Gaussian trend surfaces for modelling glacio-isostatic crustal rebound
Authors: Fretwell P. , Peterson I. R. , Smith D. E.
Published: January 2010

Synopsis

The behaviour of the Earth's continental crust and mantle may be modelled as a buoyant floating plate on a viscous liquid, and the variations of load imposed by an ice sheet may be modelled as a time-dependent force. In recent work it has been shown that the mathematical solution of this problem can be subdivided into a propagating far-field forebulge term and a non-propagating near-field term. The latter often dominates and can be approximated satisfactorily by a generalized Gaussian function. Here we fit empirical data from the Main Postglacial Shoreline of northern Britain to a Gaussian trend surface. We show that the fit is significantly better than that of a polynomial trend surface previously published, and that the method has the potential to predict the likely sea surface level offshore at the zero isobase for the shoreline.
Mapping groundwater vulnerability in Scotland: a new approach for the Water Framework Directive
Authors: Ó Dochartaigh B. É. , Ball D. F. , MacDonald A. M. , Lilly A. , Fitzsimons V. , Rio M. Del , Auton C. A.
Published: January 2010

Synopsis

A new methodology for groundwater vulnerability assessment has been devised for Scotland to meet the requirements of the Water Framework Directive. Using the methodology, a new GIS-based map of groundwater vulnerability has been produced, at a working scale of 1:100 000. The map is being used by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) to help characterize and assess risk to groundwater bodies.

The methodology assesses the vulnerability of groundwater in the uppermost aquifer to the vertical downward movement of a non-specific contaminant from the ground surface. It considers the intrinsic properties of the pathway between the ground surface and the water table. The key difference from previous vulnerability maps in Scotland and the rest of the UK is that the new method assesses vulnerability in all aquifers regardless of resource potential. This reflects the diverse environmental objectives for groundwater bodies under the Water Framework Directive. This approach provides the flexibility to combine the groundwater vulnerability map with maps of pressures, groundwater resources or other groundwater-related receptors, as required.
Groundwater–surface water interactions in upland Scottish rivers: hydrological, hydrochemical and ecological implications
Authors: Soulsby C. , Malcolm I. A. , Youngson A. F. , Tetzlaff D. , Gibbins C. N. , Hannah D. M.
Published: January 2010

Synopsis

Contrary to previous hydrogeological assumptions, we now know that drift deposits and fracture systems in crystalline rocks can constitute important aquifers in the Scottish Highlands and other montane environments. Groundwater from these aquifers usually has an important influence on the hydrology, hydrochemistry and ecology of upland river systems. Tracer-based research in the Girnock burn catchment in the Cairngorms revealed that groundwater comprises at least 30% of annual runoff. Groundwater often enters stream channels via drift deposits in valley bottom areas, which appear to be fed from recharge areas on the catchment interfluves. A range of groundwater sources exist in the catchment reflecting the complex solid and drift geology. These account for spatial differences in stream hydrochemistry and the spatial delineation of groundwater discharges to rivers and riparian zones. Areas where groundwaters enter the stream channel directly can have profound ecological implications. Most obvious are low rates of salmonid egg survival where chemically reduced groundwater discharges through the hyporheic zone. However, it is argued that only further research will reveal the full significance of groundwater–surface water interactions to the ecological status of Scottish rivers.
A fossiliferous xenolith in the Kirkwood Formation of Stirlingshire
Authors: Hamill Brendan J.
Published: January 2010

Synopsis

A xenolith containing casts of shelly fossils has been found in rocks of the Kirkwood Formation SW of Stirling. The mode of occurrence of these fossils calls into question previous interpretations of rocks of the type locality in Ayrshire.
Constraints on the development of magmatic layering in a syntectonic mafic–ultramafic suite, NW Connemara, Ireland
Authors: O’Driscoll B. , Powell D. G. R. , Reavy R. J.
Published: January 2010

Synopsis

The Dawros–Currywongaun–Doughruagh Complex of NW Connemara comprises a deformed and metamorphosed suite of syntectonic mafic to ultramafic intrusions within folded, lower amphibolite grade metasediments of the Dalradian Supergroup. Field observations and thin-section petrography have identified examples of exceptionally well-preserved modal layering and primary igneous (cumulus) textures in central areas of two of the intrusions (Dawros and Currywongaun), together with macroscopic graded bedding, slumping, and scour structures that allow layer formation to be attributed to magmatic sedimentation. Layering is occasionally chaotically folded and deformed, and as evidence of associated solid state or plastic deformation is absent, this is thought to be due to synmagmatic deformation. A magmatic fabric that is observed almost everywhere throughout the intrusions generally increases in intensity towards their margins, giving a poorly defined internal strain zonation in both. The presence of layering in these relatively small syntectonic intrusives offers insights into the way that magma chamber processes operate in tectonically active environments by highlighting the structural and petrological constraints these environments impose on layer development. This has significant implications for perceived restrictions on layer development in terms of the types of intrusions they develop in.
Unusual preservation of the internal organs of acanthodian and actinopterygian fish in the Middle Devonian of Scotland
Authors: Davidson R. G. , Trewin N. H.
Published: January 2010

Synopsis

Relics of internal organs identified as kidney, liver and heart, and also eyes of acanthodian and actinopterygian fishes, have been found in specimens from the Middle Devonian nodule bed localities of Tynet Burn, Gamrie (Den of Findon), Lethen Bar and ?Clune in NE Scotland.

The organs are represented by dark stains positioned where the organs were situated in life. This phenomenon has been observed in the acanthodian genera
Diplacanthus, Cheiracanthus, Mesacanthus
and
Rhadinacanthus
from Tynet and Gamrie, and in the actinopterygian
Cheirolepis
from Lethen Bar and ?Clune. It is likely that the unique diagenetic conditions at these sites allow a visible expression of these structures to be preserved. The fossil bone of the fish in the Tynet nodules is stained by iron oxide deposited by the action of chemotrophic bacteria during early burial. Concentration of iron deposition at these haemoglobin-rich organ sites may provide the visible contrast that enables traces of these organs to be seen.

The mode of preservation of heart or liver traces in the Lethen Bar and ?Clune material appears to be very similar to that in the Tynet Burn material. The Den of Findon material has undergone considerable weathering
in situ,
rendering the bone and scales very pale brown, perhaps further enhancing the contrast of these dark organic traces. At most other nodule localities, the bones and scales are preserved black in a dark grey matrix and any remaining dark stains would be masked.
Evidence for the historical exploitation of possible bedrock gold in the upper Mennock Water, Wanlockhead, Dumfries and Galloway
Authors: Chapman R. J. , Leake R. C.
Published: January 2010

Synopsis

Microchemical characterization of gold grains collected from a probable site of old gold processing at the confluence of the Mennock Water and Whitestone Cleuch in the Leadhills–Wanlockhead auriferous area has led to the identification of a type of gold previously unrecorded in the area. Within the Leadhills–Wanlockhead gold region the alluvial gold is dominated by a type which contains typically 10–12% Ag, little or no Cu and Hg, and an opaque inclusion suite containing sulphides (about 60%) and sulpharsenides (about 40%). Alluvial gold grains recovered from the Mennock Water and Whitestone Cleuch during this study are of this type. In contrast, gold grains recovered from the base of pits at the study site contain between 5.6 and 7.4% Ag, negligible Cu and Hg, and an opaque mineral inclusion suite characterized by pyrite, chalcopyrite, galena, sphalerite and tetrahedrite. Sulpharsenides are absent. This microchemical signature is more similar to that previously recorded in alluvial gold from two other sites in the Southern Uplands: the Tweed headwaters and the Glengaber Burn.

The distinctive microchemical signature of gold from the study site has not been observed in any other gold grains recovered from the Mennock Water catchment (
c.
20 km
2
) or elsewhere in the Leadhills–Wanlockhead region. These grains frequently exhibit textures incompatible with any fluvial transport, but characteristic of gold grains liberated through crushing ore. Thus, the evidence from gold composition and grain textures suggests that a distinctive bedrock source of gold was crushed and presumably beneficiated at this site. This discovery represents evidence for an unrecorded site of possible
in-situ
gold exploitation.
Palaeomagnetic dating of clastic dykes in Proterozoic basement, NW Scotland: evidence for syndepositional faulting during deposition of the Torridonian
Authors: Dulin Shannon , Elmore R. D. , Engel M. H. , Parnell J. , Kelly J.
Published: January 2010

Synopsis

The Lewisian basement rock in NW Scotland contains sandstone dykes that are interpreted to have formed during syndepositional faulting. Although the ages of some dykes are known, the time of formation for other dykes is unknown. To test if the dykes can be dated using palaeomagnetism, dykes were sampled at Clachtoll, where the timing of dyke emplacement is known (Stoer age,
c.
1200 Ma). The results confirmed that the Clachtoll dykes contain a Stoer-age magnetization residing predominantly in haematite with a pole position at 29.1°N, 220°E. This dating approach was applied to dykes of uncertain age near Gairloch. These dykes contain two magnetizations with similar directions, one interpreted to reside in magnetite and another in haematite. Both pole positions (magnetite: 31.8°S, 217.2°E; haematite: 37.8 °S and 236.7 °E) are similar to the reference Torridon Group poles (
c.
980 Ma). The magnetite magnetization is interpreted to be of detrital origin whereas the haematite component is considered to be a detrital and/or early chemical remanence. The magnetizations in both dyke sets are inferred to have been acquired during or soon after infilling of the dykes. The results from Clachtoll are consistent with previous studies which indicate that emplacement of clastic dykes and syndepositional faulting occurred during deposition of the Stoer Group. The results from the dykes near Gairloch indicate another younger period of syndepositional extensional(?) faulting during deposition of the Torridon Group.
Basic and ultrabasic volcanic rocks from the Argyll Group (Dalradian) of NE Scotland
Authors: Macdonald R. , Fettes D. J. , Stephenson D. , Graham C. M.
Published: January 2010

Synopsis

The Dalradian Supergroup of the Scottish Highlands is a largely metasedimentary succession of Neoproterozoic to Early Cambrian age, metamorphosed during the Caledonian Orogeny. The rocks were deposited on the Laurentian margin during and following the break-up of Rodinia. This rift setting is evidenced, in the upper half of the succession, by the presence of several volcanic sequences. A significant development of these volcanic rocks occurs in the NE Grampian Highlands. There, the Blackwater Formation, within the Argyll Group of the Huntly area, is dominated by basic and ultrabasic metavolcanic rocks, with intercalated metasedimentary rocks. The rocks were metamorphosed in the amphibolite facies, with the Mg contents of their dominant amphiboles apparently reflecting those of the whole-rock protoliths. The protoliths ranged from ultrabasic picritic types (MgO up to 35 wt%) through high-magnesia basalts to basaltic andesites and andesites. The magmas feeding the volcanism were of tholeiitic affinity, broadly similar to metavolcanic rocks elsewhere in the Dalradian. Higher-Nb and lower-Nb groups can be distinguished. The inferred parental magmas were basalts with MgO
c.
10 wt%. The ultrabasic rocks formed by accumulation of olivine and minor Cr-spinel within the parental basalts. Some more evolved rocks show evidence of minor (5–10 wt%) accumulation of Fe–Ti oxides. Primary magmas of the Blackwater metavolcanic rocks were generated from a mantle source, or sources, relatively enriched compared to the MORB source. It is speculated that all the Dalradian metavolcanic rocks represent varying degrees of mixing of magmas from this source and a depleted, MORB-like, mantle source.
Hydrocarbon generation modelling in a multiple rifted and volcanic basin: a case study in the Foinaven Sub-basin, Faroe–Shetland Basin, UK Atlantic margin
Authors: Scotchman I. C. , Carr A. D. , Parnell J.
Published: January 2010

Synopsis

Hydrocarbon generation modelling in the Faroe–Shetland Basin (FSB) is enigmatic in that the depth of burial suggests that the main Middle and Upper Jurassic source rocks are overmature for hydrocarbon generation. However, the reservoired hydrocarbons comprise largely oil with only minor amounts of oil-associated gases, not the high maturity gas expected from the maturation modelling. The modelling also indicates that oil generation largely preceded both the deposition of the Paleocene reservoirs and the time of trap formation. This mismatch in timing has been reconciled by the use of holding tank models where the oil is stored in deeply buried Cretaceous reservoirs, before remigration after the formation of the Paleocene reservoirs and traps. The thermal histories used for this modelling are generally calibrated against geochemical parameters, such as vitrinite reflectance, but contain a number of flaws when the physical relationships between force, energy and work are evaluated. Foremost amongst the problems is the use of constant heat flows during periods of rifting, since it is impossible for a basin to be rifted under such conditions.

A thermal history that incorporates elevated heat flows during each period of rifting and volcanic activity has been derived from the tectonic history of the FSB, and was checked by calibration to measured vitrinite reflectance data in wells around the margins of the Foinaven Sub-basin. The vitrinite reflectance predictions were obtained by using the PresRo
®
model, in which the vitrinite reflectance is retarded by overpressures that developed during the rapid Paleocene burial in the FSB. The PresRo
®
model predicts late oil window maturities for the Jurassic source rocks in a pseudowell in the Foinaven Sub-basin kitchen. The results from the maturation modelling were then integrated with the fluid inclusion and hydrocarbon analyses from Westray area and Judd High wells. Three phases of hydrocarbon charging into the Foinaven Field can be identified. The first involves early and mid-mature oils that charged earlier Cretaceous sandstones during the Late Cretaceous, while the Paleocene reservoired hydrocarbons consist of two separate phases of oil charged during the Tertiary with an intermediate period of biodegradation.
A re-interpretation of the ‘Centre 3 screens’ of Ardnamurchan, NW Scotland
Authors: Brown David J. , Bell Brian R. , McLeod Graham W.
Published: January 2010

Synopsis

Fragmental rocks associated with Centre 3 of the Ardnamurchan Central Complex, NW Scotland, have long been interpreted as vent-filling agglomerates of pyroclastic origin (Richey & Thomas 1930). Here, we re-interpret these lithologies as net-veined dolerites formed by the intrusion and cooling of basaltic magma, and fragmented in places by emplacement of a subsequent silicic magma.
Structural setting and petrogenesis of the Ben Vuirich Granite Pluton of the Grampian Highlands: a pre-orogenic, rift-related intrusion
Authors: Tanner P. W. G. , Leslie A. G. , Gillespie M. R.
Published: January 2010

Synopsis

The Ben Vuirich intrusion is a small, elongate body of monzogranite that occurs in the Tummel Steep Belt, Perthshire. It was emplaced into Dalradian rocks (Appin Group) at 590 Ma, prior to the D1 phase of the Grampian Event (Caledonian Orogeny), and was strongly deformed during D2. Locally preserved cordierite- and andalusite-bearing hornfelses were altered to garnet ± kyanite-bearing assemblages during post-D2 regional metamorphism. A new study of the lower-grade hornfelses shows that the protolith was an undeformed, fine-grained, parallel-laminated sedimentary unit, confirming that the pluton is pre-orogenic with respect to the Grampian Event. Whole-rock and trace element analyses of 33 samples of the intrusion, together with rare earth elements, Rb–Sr and O-isotope data, show that it is an A
2
-group monzogranite. This finding supports the hypothesis that the granite, emplaced at a depth of 7–14 km, formed in the same extensional tectonic setting as the Tayvallich lavas at 600 Ma. Geochemical and isotope parameters point to a largely crustal source. The intrusion belongs to a swarm of rift-related, A-type granitoids that originally stretched from the Appalachians to Scotland, and includes foliated granitoids in the Moine. The granitoids formed in response to the early break-up of Rodinia,
c.
50 Ma before the development of the Iapetus Ocean.
Sediment provenance in the River Eden catchment, Scotland, using chemical characterization of Fe–Ti oxide minerals and magnetic measurements
Authors: Martínez-Monasterio E. , Duck R. W. , Stephens W. E. , Walden J.
Published: January 2010

Synopsis

Sediment provenance in the River Eden catchment, Scotland, has been studied using chemical characterization of Fe–Ti oxide minerals and magnetic measurements. Results show that magnetic parameters lead to a better characterization and differentiation of rock sources and sediments than the chemical compositions of Fe–Ti oxide grains, thereby establishing a basis for provenance modelling. However, the chemical characterization of titanomagnetite grains allows a more accurate interpretation of the magnetic measurements. Discriminant function analysis of magnetic parameters yields an environmentally sensible, qualitative provenance model; but the intra-source magnetic variability and the similarity of the sources in terms of magnetic concentration, composition and grain size prevent successful quantitative provenance modelling. Tributary inputs are recognized downstream along the main channel of the River Eden, despite the tendency for the sediment characteristics to be homogenized during transport. This study highlights the potential for using a combination of Fe–Ti oxides chemical compositions together with magnetic parameters in sedimentary provenance studies.
The Gaick Fold Complex: large-scale recumbent folds and their implications for Caledonian structural architecture in the Central Grampian Highlands
Authors: Leslie A. G. , Krabbendam M. , Smith R. A.
Published: January 2010

Synopsis

New British Geological Survey mapping has examined the stratigraphy and structure of Dalradian strata in the Gaick region of the Central Grampian Highlands of Scotland. In the north of that area, turbiditic strata in the Creag Dhubh Psammite Formation (Corrieyairack Subgroup) pass, via a well-defined sedimentary transition, into the stratigraphically younger Gaick Psammite Formation (Glen Spean Subgroup). This latter formation dominates the lithostratigraphy of the Gaick region, records shallow-water marine shelf conditions throughout, and was probably 1 to 2 km thick prior to deformation. Ordovician (Grampian) orogenesis affected the sedimentary rocks now arranged in a stack of Caledonian recumbent kilometre-scale F2 folds with gently ENE-plunging axes. Regional facing on these recumbent folds is typically sideways to the south. Southeast of the Gaick region, the folds, and thus facing, become progressively inclined and dip to the SE beneath the outcrop of the Appin Group Dalradian. No significant Fl folds, and hence no related facing changes, have been detected within this D2 fold stack. The structure of the Gaick–Drumochter area is therefore essentially a flat belt formed in the D2 deformation event and here named the Gaick Fold Complex. The D2 recumbent structures of this flat belt were rotated and steepened by D3 deformation into the Tummel Steep Belt to the SE, and adjacent to the Glen Banchor High to the NW. Tectonic transport in D2 in the Gaick Fold Complex is interpreted to be oriented on a north–south azimuth, similar to that in the Tay Nappe farther south. Such an interpretation implies that the NE–SW ‘Caledonian trend’ is a consequence of D3 deformation and reorientation, rather than a primary feature of the Grampian Orogeny.
Fluvial and aeolian deposition in the Siluro-Devonian Swanshaw Sandstone Formation, SW Scotland
Authors: Smith R. A. , Jones N. S. , Monaghan A. A. , Arkley S.
Published: January 2010

Synopsis

The recognition of fluvial and aeolian facies within the Siluro-Devonian Swanshaw Sandstone Formation of SW Scotland allows a more detailed depositional history of the Lanark basin in the southern part of the Midland Valley of Scotland to be inferred. The formation is well exposed in Ayrshire and has four main sedimentary facies associations: Channel, Aeolian, Floodplain and Mudflat. Each combines several sedimentary facies: eight facies are recognized in the channel association, three in the aeolian, four in the floodplain and two in the mudflat. These facies associations co-existed in seven different depositional settings in the western Lanark basin. Deposition occurred on a semi-arid proximal alluvial plain with an aeolian component described for the first time in the Lanark basin. Sedimentation was pulsed, largely driven by periods of source area uplift that resulted in the deposition of coarse-grained conglomeratic and sandstone-dominated facies. The principal transport was via river channels, commonly in shallow braided systems. Periods of low sediment flux are marked by fewer channels and by the preservation of floodplain successions including aeolian deposits. Abandonment of the fluvial system towards the top of the formation in Ayrshire is marked by a progression through sandflats and mudflats to the overlying volcanic formation. The relationship of the fluvial and aeolian deposits is analysed. The palaeo-wind direction is compatible with that recorded in sandstones of similar age in the Orcadian basin.
Field relationships and emplacement of the Caledonian Ross of Mull Granite, Argyllshire
Authors: Zaniewski A. , Reavy R. J. , Harris A. L.
Published: January 2010

Synopsis

The Ross of Mull granite (ROMG) occupies the largest part of the pre-Tertiary inlier of the Ross of Mull peninsula. Previous ideas that the Moine Thrust crops out in the Sound of Iona have now been discounted. Recent models have proposed that: (a) the Sound of Iona Fault and the associated mylonites on Iona are part of a steeply inclined extensional fault throwing down to the ESE, bringing high grade Sgurr Beag or Knoydart Nappe Moine rocks to the same erosion level as the foreland units on Iona; and (b) one of the main Caledonian thrusts must extend to a point no more than 10–15 km from the projected trace of the Great Glen Fault. A hypothetical intersection would occur SW of Mull and it is proposed here that the intersection of these two structures has been the dominant control on the siting of the ROMG. In this model, magmas using this intersection as an ascent site were emplaced eastwards as flattish sheets within an overall east-dipping extensional zone that has high-grade Moine lithologies in its hanging wall. The present erosion level provides a section through a granitoid complex from a roof zone with flattened diorite enclaves and abundant country rock xenoliths to a clearly demonstrable westward-dipping floor; a situation which may be unique in the British Caledonian granitoid complexes.
Kiaeropterus
(Eurypterida; Stylonurina) recognized from the Silurian of the Pentland Hills
Authors: Tetlie O. Erik , Anderson Lyall I. , Poschmann Markus
Published: January 2010

Synopsis

Eurypterus cyclophthalmus
Laurie, 1892 from the Llandovery of the Pentland Hills, Scotland, is redescribed and assigned to the stylonurid eurypterid genus
Kiaeropterus
Waterston. 1979, previously only known from
Kiaeropterus ruedemanni
(Størmer, 1934) from the Wenlock of Norway. Another species previously assigned to
Kiaeropterus, K. otisius
Clarke 1907, is reassigned to the previously monotypic genus
Clarkeipterus
Kjellesvig-Waering 1966. The genus
Kiaeropterus
shares a previously unrecognized synapomorphy with the genus
Brachyopterus
Størmer 1951, namely a large bulbous ‘ocellar area’. In
Kiaeropterus
this area is cardioid whereas it is triangular in
Brachyopterus.
The two genera also share a number of less significant characters such as large anteriorly converging crescentic eyes, a lack of cuticular ornament and podomeres of the prosomal appendages with pronounced ridges, supporting a phylogenetic relationship between
Kiaeropterus
and
Brachyopterus.
A Scottish ‘diamond’ specimen rediscovered and re-identified: the first Scottish occurrence of piemontite
Authors: Faithfull John W.
Published: January 2010

Synopsis

A possible occurrence of diamond near Ben Hope in Sutherland was described in 1901. For most of the 20th century, the specimen had been assumed lost, and thus the identification could not be verified. This specimen has recently come to light. Re-examination shows that the specimen contains no diamonds, but rather contains a very unusual assemblage of piemontite–spessartine–hematite–braunite–muscovite–K-feldspar–quartz. This is the first Scottish occurrence of true piemontite. Revisiting the original locality, no
in-situ
exposures were found, but this lithology forms a distinctive component of glacially transported boulders over an area to the east and south of Ben Hope. It is almost certainly derived from the local Moine, and represents a unit with an oxidized, coarse clastic protolith. If found
in situ,
this unit may be a useful marker bed in the otherwise homogenous psammitic rocks of the Moine in this area.
An Upper Llandovery Konservat–Lagerstätte in a depositional context: the Pentland Hills Eurypterid Bed, Midlothian
Authors: Anderson L. I. , Clarkson E. N. K. , Stewart S. E. , Mitchell D.
Published: January 2010

Synopsis

Re-excavation and detailed logging of the sedimentary sequence which includes the Eurypterid Bed on the Gutterford Burn, Pentland Hills, Midlothian, has clarified the depositional setting of this Silurian Konservat–Lagerstätte. The relative positions of the Gutterford Burn limestones, beds yielding dendroid graptolites and the Eurypterid Bed itself have been identified. Clay bands occur at a number of horizons throughout the 23 m of logged section, but the most important of these enclose the distinctive lithology of the Eurypterid Bed. Exceptionally preserved fossils typically occur within a volcanic ash-rich claystone which was deposited below storm wave-base in a fully marine setting. Depositional style, presence of
in situ
corals and the presence of volcaniclastic input all indicate similarity to the sequence exposed around the Deerhope Coral Beds. The stratigraphy of the North Esk Inlier is revised t o take into account these new findings. The boundary between the Reservoir Formation and the overlying Deerhope Burn Formation is defined as lying at the base of the first calcareous sandstone on the Gutterford Burn section.
A melilite-bearing high-temperature calcic skarn, Camasunary Bay, Isle of Skye
Authors: Beard A. D. , Drake S. M.
Published: January 2010

Synopsis

The occurrence of high-temperature calcic skarns is relatively rare, with around 30 being reported worldwide. Here, we report on a newly discovered occurrence of a melilite-bearing high-temperature calcic skarn at Camasunary Bay, Isle of Skye. The contact metamorphism was caused by the intrusion of the Cuillin Hills gabbro and the later intrusion of the Coire Uaigneich granophyre. The calcic skarn consists of a high-temperature assemblage of wollastonite, åkermanite–gehlenite, vesuvianite, tilleyite, spurrite. andradite–grossular garnet, monticellite and perovskite. It also includes the very rare Zr-rich garnet kimzeyite and baghdadite (Ca
3
(Zr,Ti)Si
2
O
9
), indicating transfer of Zr, Ti and other incompatible element-rich fluids derived from the hydrous Coire Uaigneich granophyre. The calcic skarn contains numerous cherty nodules and stringers, which bear a remarkable resemblance to the Cambrian–Ordovician dolostone exposures observed in other parts of Skye. suggesting that the protolith was originally an impure dolomite. The nature of the contact between the calcic skarn and surrounding Torridonian sedimentary rocks could not be directly observed, but elsewhere on Skye this contact is the Kishorn Thrust plane. This has implications for the simplified tectonic map accompanying the British Geological Survey map of Broadford (Sheet 71W), which now requires modification.
Collectors, curators and the fossil record: a reply to Hope (2004)
Authors: Donovan Stephen K.
Published: January 2010

Synopsis

A recent guidebook to the Lower Palaeozoic palaeontology of the Girvan district suggested, pointedly, that collecting is the pursuit of the amateur, and there is antagonism between amateur collectors and museum curators (professionals). This is illustrated by just one purported example, that of F.R. Cowper Reed (1869–1946). who may never have visited the Girvan district, but who described many significant fossils from the notable collection of Mrs Elizabeth Gray (1831–1924). However, this relationship was symbiotic, not parasitic. Mrs Gray did not want to describe her collection herself, but she did want it described. Further, as much of the descriptive work was undertaken after his retirement, Cowper Reed was monographing the Gray collection through scientific interest rather than any need to build a career.
Photography of amber inclusions in the collections of National Museums Scotland
Authors: Crighton William R. B. , Carrió Vicen
Published: January 2010

Synopsis

The collections of the Department of Natural Sciences, National Museums Scotland, at present hold around 130 specimens of amber, the earliest acquired in 1832. Mainly from the Baltic area and Mexico, they also include examples from Italy, Africa, Japan and New Zealand. Recently a number have been added, originating from Lithuania, Mexico and the Dominican Republic, which contain notable arthropod and plant inclusions. Successful photography of inclusions requires special techniques, some of which are similar to those used in photographing minerals and gems. These methods need not involve radical pre-treatment and can achieve good image quality while minimizing potential damage to the material.
The earliest turrilepadid: a machaeridian from the Lower Ordovician of the Northwest Highlands
Authors: Herringshaw Liam G. , Raine Robert J.
Published: January 2010

Synopsis

A machaeridian sclerite from a thrombolite bed in the Sangomore Formation (Durness Group: Tremadoc) is the first to be described from NW Scotland. The large size, thickness and coarsely spaced rugae indicate the sclerite is that of a turrilepadid, but its morphology is distinct from any taxon described previously. Lacking a longitudinal fold and with three major inflections present along the accreting margin, it is interpreted as an outer right sclerite. It is the oldest turrilepadid yet recorded and shows that all three major groups of the problematical Machaeridia were present in the early Ordovician.
The synonymy of the Scottish Devonian osteolepid fish
Thursius macrolepidotus
Authors: Newman Michael J. , den Blaauwen Jan L.
Published: January 2010

Synopsis

In 1888, Traquair raised the genus
Thursius
and placed two species in it, namely
Thursius macrolepidotus,
which was originally described by Sedgwick & Murchison in 1829 as
Dipterus macrolepidotus,
and
Thursius pholidotus
gen. et sp. nov. In 1948 Jarvik raised the new species
Thursius moythomasi,
which he described as closely related to
T. macrolepidotus.
All these species come from the Middle Devonian deposits of the Orcadian Basin, northern Scotland. Many more specimens of
Thursius
are now available for study than in Traquair’s or Jarvik’s time and it can now be shown that
T. macrolepidotus
and
T. moythomasi
represent the two end ranges of variation in one very variable species.
T. moythomasi
must therefore, be considered a synonym of
T. macrolepidotus.
It is also considered doubtful that
T. pholidotus
is similar enough to
T. macrolepidotus
to warrant its retention in the genus
Thursius,
but more research is required to confirm this. With the taxonomic status of
Thursius
better understood, coupled with intensive fieldwork and the discovery of important new, stratigraphically useful species, a revision of the stratigraphy of the Orcadian Basin is presently underway.
Structure, composition and significance of Medieval storm beach ridges at Caerlaverock, Dumfries and Galloway
Authors: Tipping Richard , Adams James
Published: January 2010

Synopsis

A set of four gravel beach ridges at Caerlaverock on the north shore of the Solway Firth are shown to have formed in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries
ad
, the most recent such deposits on this coast. They were investigated by geomorphological mapping, altitudinal survey, sediment stratigraphic and clast lithological analyses to establish their internal structure and sediment sources. Gravel clasts were in part transported from rock outcrops on the west side of the Nith Estuary, and this observation implies that the current estuarine sediment fills of the inner firth were then far less extensive. The data suggest that the Medieval period was one of major coastal change. Fluctuations in sediment supply are demonstrated from the clast lithological analyses which may relate to shifts in the directions of storm tracks.