Clothister Hill Quarry
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Condition (NatureScot)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | Mineralogy of Scotland | Favourable | — | 2005-03-31 |
Geology & landscape
Mining / Industrial: Quarry · Rock Type: Schist
Description
CLOTHISTER HILL QUARRY Clothister Hill Quarry lies about 1km west of Sullom, Northmavine, Shetland. A lenticular orebody of very pure magnetite has been exploited here but about 10,000 tons still remain. This is the best example of this rare mineral in Shetland. The orebody is epigenetic and is enclosed in a garnet-hornblende-pyroxene-epidote skarn. The associated host rock is graphite schist. The magnetite body is exposed in the floor of the lower level of the quarry and the face between the levels, but does not extend laterally very far into the top level. The ore and its associations are excellently exposed for study. The host rocks are of the Ollaberry Series of metasediments and metavolcanics. They cannot be correlated readily with any part of the Dalradian or Moine but were metamorphosed during the Caledonian Orogeny.