Quiz question: What is the connection between these hills on the westernmost point of the British mainland to the Cleveland Dyke back home in the North York Moors?
The answer is of course they were both formed by volcanic activity near the island of Mull.
Ok, there is a bit of a time difference between the two events. The magma that intruded to form the Cleveland Dyke has been dated to about 56 million years ago whereas the rocks of Ardnamurchan happened between 60 and 55 million years. Still, what’s a few million years between friends.
The magma that formed the rocks of Ardnamurchan is thought to have risen up a central duct in the earth’s crust and splayed outwards creating today a ring of hills most effectively seen from the air or the Ordnance Survey map.
In an attempt to appreciate the scale of the ring I climbed the Meall nan Con, at 437m the highest summit of the ring. The rock is gabbro, formed when magma cools slowly enabling large crystals to form. It provides excellent grip, enabling 45° slopes to be climbed with ease.Like the outcrop in the foreground. It must wear your soles through. And I’d hate to fall over.
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