Glencoul geological interpretation

Simplified geological interpretation of the Glencoul panorama assembled from 5 landscape views, taken from the layby on the A894 at NC 23524 32052 near Unapool, Sutherland.

A classic Scottish geological location of the Moine Thrust Zone in the Assynt area.

The Cambrian Basal Quartzite and Pipe Rock lie unconformably on Lewisian Gneiss. More Lewisian Gneiss has been transported and thrusted on top of the Cambrian rocks by the Sole, Glencoul and Ben More Thrusts. In the distance, the Moine Thrust brings metamorphosed sediments of the Moine Supergroup (Late Precambrian) on to the Cambrian rocks.

The overall displacement across the Moine Thrust Zone is thought to be of the order of 100 km of crustal shortening. In other words, the rocks on the skyline above the Moine Thrust blue line were originally 100 km further away from the rocks in the foreground below the Sole Thrust red line.