Aird Thuirinis - Port na Long
Also within
Condition (NatureScot)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | Moine | Favourable | — | 2014-06-05 |
Climate exposure
This is about exposure to a nationwide pressure this habitat type carries — not a verdict on this site's own management.
Coastal habitats are exposed to sea-level rise and storm erosion. Where hard sea defences sit behind them, there's nowhere landward to retreat to — a squeeze that keeps compressing the habitat no matter how well it's managed.
Geology & landscape
Landscape processes: Coastal
Description
AIRD THUIRINIS – PORT NA LONG Aird Thuirinis – Port na Long Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) lies near the southern tip of the Sleat peninsula on the Isle of Skye. It is significant because it displays the most southerly exposure of the Moine Thrust in Scotland. The Moine Thrust is a major fracture in the Earth’s crust, which runs along Scotland’s north-western seaboard from Loch Eriboll on the north coast of Sutherland to the Sleat peninsula. The Thrust is one of the most important features of Highland geology and was formed around 430 million years ago during a mountain-building event known as the ‘Caledonian Orogeny’. Within the site, the Moine Thrust separates overlying Moine and Lewisian rocks of the ‘Moine Thrust Sheet’ from underlying rocks of the unusual ‘Tarskavaig Group’, found only on the Sleat peninsula. The site also provides evidence of periodic movement on the Moine Thrust, and of the complexity of the Moine Thrust Zone (the wider zone of thrust faults associated with the Moine Thrust).