Sgavoch
Also within
Condition (NatureScot)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | Ordovician Igneous | Favourable | — | 2009-02-20 |
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
Geological Period: Ordovician
Landscape processes: Coastal, Volcanic / Igneous
Description
Sgavoch Sgavoch lying approximately 2km south of Ballantrae illustrates the Ballantrae Complex, of Ordovician age (from 510 to 435 million years ago), which consists of three belts of pillow lavas and associated sediments, separated from each other by ultramafic intrusive rocks. The Complex shows many of the features of an obducted ophiolite although geochemical studies indicated that the various igneous rocks were generated in a variety of tectonic settings and have since been tectonically juxtaposed. Coastal outcrops between Sgavoch Rock and Downan Point provide a section through part of the southern lava belt of the Complex. The lavas of the Downan Point Lava Formation are an essentially uninterrupted series of pillowed tholeiitic flows with only minor sedimentary intercalations. Faunal and radiometric evidence indicate a Llandeilo age for the lavas, suggesting that they are younger than the bulk of Ballantrae Complex which is Arenig in age. Geochemical analysis indicates an ocean-island origin for the lavas and thus they may represent the oldest accreted terrain within the Southern Uplands which was scraped off the subducting Iapetus Ocean.