Craighead Quarry
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Condition (NatureScot)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | Caradoc - Ashgill | Unfavourable No Change | — | 2005-03-31 |
Geology & landscape
Mining / Industrial: Quarry · Geological Period: Ordovician
Landscape processes: Volcanic / Igneous
Description
CRAIGHEAD QUARRY Craighead Quarry comprises two adjacent areas of rock exposures, situated 6km north-east of Girvan. These exposures reveal a structurally complex rock sequence, consisting of conglomerates, limestones and shales unconformably overlying the spilites (lavas) of the pre-Caradoc Ballantrae volcanic basement. The Caradoc Epoch and Ashgill Epoch together spanned the Late Ordovician, a period of time from 461 to 444 million years ago, and the rocks at Craighead Quarry are of middle Caradoc age. These rocks in the Craighead Inlier are of great importance to our understanding of the stratigraphical history of the Girvan area. The sediments are richly fossiliferous, containing the remains of trilobites, brachiopods, gastropods, bivalves, crinoids, corals, graptolites and calcareous algae, many of which have a North American affinity. The site is the source of type material for over 70 fossil species.