North Newton Shore
Also within
Condition (NatureScot)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | Non-marine Devonian | Favourable | — | 2009-02-20 |
Geology & landscape
Rock Type: Breccia, Sandstone
Landscape processes: Fluvial
Description
North Newton Shore North Newton Shore lies 1km north of Lochranza on the Isle of Arran. It is a historically important locality, comprising one of the unconformities described and used by James Hutton to demonstrate the importance of earth movements in earth history. Upper Old Red Sandstone fluvial sediments rest on folded Dalradian (Highland Border Series) metamorphic rocks. The lowermost breccia of the Old Red Sandstone and the underlying metamorphic rocks are strongly calcretised. The development of the calcrete soil profile shows that the unconformity was subaerially exposed for a long time as a stable land surface, before being buried by sediment.