A key Scottish site for understanding rapid climate change has gained Geological Heritage Site status.
The Parallel Roads of Glen Roy, in the Lochaber area of the Highlands, is one of three sites in Scotland included on a list of internationally important geological locations.
The site, which is part of Glen Roy National Nature Reserve, is home to an iconic suite of glacial lake shorelines that informed the development of Glacial Theory in the 19th century. Three shorelines, or ‘parallel roads’, are evidence that glaciers were once in an area where none exist today.
A team of academics from institutions including the University of St Andrews successfully petitioned for the site to gain acknowledgement from The International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) Geological Heritage Sites.
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The application, made last year with members of Royal Holloway, University of London, nominated the site to be accepted for its importance in the ‘History of Geology’ section as a site of 'great scientific importance'.
The area has been the foundation of ongoing research, teaching and outreach in the Department of Geography at Royal Holloway, and in collaboration with other UK universities, for the last 25 years.
Dr Adrian Palmer, Senior Lecturer in Physical Geography in the Department of Geography at Royal Holloway, said: “The Parallel Roads of Glen Roy are unique features in the British landscape.
“These features generated huge scientific interest in the 19th Century when Darwin, Agassiz and Jamieson offered theories to explain how the roads came to exist. Darwin’s theory they were marine shorelines were rejected in favour of the new concept of ice ages proposed by Agassiz, and that the roads were the shorelines of former glacial lakes.
The Parallel Roads of Glen Roy (Image: NatureScot)
“More recently, our understanding of how the lake systems changed through time has been advanced from detailed landform analysis and examining sediments. This has enabled annual chronologies of the glacial lakes allowing us to pinpoint when the lakes formed, for how long and estimate how quickly the ice retreated.
“This data will be used to predict how modern ice caps respond to future climate warming.
“It is fantastic that this hidden treasure in the Highlands of Scotland with such a rich heritage of scientific endeavour has been recognised by the IUGS in this way.”
Two other significant geology sites in Scotland have joined The Parallel Roads of Glen Roy on the list of internationally important geological locations.
The second site is the Rum Igneous Complex, in Rum National Nature Reserve, which is regarded as the internal plumbing of one of Scotland’s most recently active (60-million-year-old) volcanoes in which chromium and the precious metal platinum accumulated in chambers of molten magma.
The Rum Cuillins (Image: Lorne Gill/NatureScot)
The third site is Barrow Zones, a series of rock layers, in the Glen Esk area of the Highlands, that were once mud on an ancient ocean floor. Changes in the mineral content of rocks, up Glen Esk, shows that they experienced increasingly higher pressures and temperatures, in a north-westerly direction, when plate tectonics brought the geological foundations of Scotland together around 470 million years ago.
All three sites have been selected for the International Union of Geological Science's (IUGS) second list of 100 geological heritage sites.
The full list was announced during the 37th International Geological Congress in Busan, Republic of Korea on Tuesday. More than 700 experts from 80 nations and 16 international organizations participated in this global endeavour, which consolidates the recognition of geological heritage by the IUGS.
NatureScot Geomorphologist, Dr Christina Wood said: “It’s fantastic to see three Scottish sites being recognised for their internationally important contributions to geological science.
“We’re particularly proud that both the Parallel Roads of Glen Roy and the Rum Igneous Complex are located on NatureScot’s National Nature Reserves.
“Glen Roy and neighbouring Glen Spean have stimulated geological debate from the early-nineteenth century to the present day. Particular highlights are three shorelines, or 'Parallel Roads', visible along the flanks of Glen Roy at altitudes of 260m, 325m and 350m above sea level. The lakes that created the shorelines were dammed by glaciers as they advanced and retreated.
“The Parallel Roads provided convincing evidence for the former existence of glaciers in an area where none exist today, thus supporting Agassiz’ theory of continental glaciation during a geologically recent Ice Age.
“It’s vital we protect and conserve these special places for future generations to learn from and enjoy and we hope that many more people will continue to explore and experience the wonders of Scotland’s truly magnificent geological heritage.”
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