Out and About near Loch Ba
Posted: Saturday, 19 April 2008 |
The weather has been very nice of late - long overdue mind you! You may remember that a group of my geology students were going to walk the length of the Loch Ba Ring Dyke last year - in the end it was cut very short because of the weather. I am still planning to get this done sometime, hopefully soon!
On Friday I decided to take another look at part of it - the section above Loch Ba, followed by a nice stroll back along the side of Loch Ba - the weather was very good, nice and clear. Here are some pics of the walk, together with some details:
From Knock, looking over to Cruach Torr an Lochain
Forest near Ben More Lodge, looking over to the hills above Loch Ba - the slightly "pointy" hill in the distance is called Na Bacanan - the Ring Dyke runs right across it and over into Glen Forsa
Loch Ba, looking down on it from the Ring Dyke (the light coloured rocks in the foreground) Weather couldnt have been better for the hills - sunny with a breeze and really good clarity.
Doesnt look much I know, but this is one of the smaller dykes that cuts across the Ring Dyke, and is therefore younger than it. Dykes of this type represent some of the very last igneous activity in Mull. I was reading up on the Sgurr of Eigg the other day, whcih you can see quite clearly from Mull if the weather is OK - the Sgurr is reckoned to be one of the very last, if not THE last example of igneous activity in Britain - Eocene period, 52 million years ago. The Mull rocks are a bit older than that. I feel a visit to Eigg coming on......
This is the actual Ring Dyke itself - up close and personal. At this point it is just like a wall of rock. Very impressive. No wonder the original Survey Officers got all excited...
This is more like it! Ben More, showing a snowy north face.
This is Ben More's neighbour, A'Chioch looking fine and pointy. This view is from further over, above Glen Clachaig from where the Cioch looks very impressive.
Right, back down at Loch Ba again - here is the fine hill of Beinn na Dubharach. Lots of the rock called gabbro up there, hence the knobbly craggy look to it. There is also a loch up on the hill called Lochan nam Ban-Uaine - lochan of the green women - Green? Jealousy? Fairies? Aliens? Fascinating name....
Heres another view across the loch to Sron nam Boc - this is where the ring Dyke outcrops on the NE Shore of the loch and gives rise to the line of crags up the hillside.
Here we are looking back to the SW part of the Ring Dyke (near where I started) The sun is really picking out the late dykes cutting across it (as in that picture above) The late dykes appear as parallel diagonal lines. Hadnt really noticed the effect before quite so strongly - must have been the way the sun was catching them.
And that was that. More soon hopefully!
Bye for now
JW(MM)
On Friday I decided to take another look at part of it - the section above Loch Ba, followed by a nice stroll back along the side of Loch Ba - the weather was very good, nice and clear. Here are some pics of the walk, together with some details:
From Knock, looking over to Cruach Torr an Lochain
Forest near Ben More Lodge, looking over to the hills above Loch Ba - the slightly "pointy" hill in the distance is called Na Bacanan - the Ring Dyke runs right across it and over into Glen Forsa
Loch Ba, looking down on it from the Ring Dyke (the light coloured rocks in the foreground) Weather couldnt have been better for the hills - sunny with a breeze and really good clarity.
Doesnt look much I know, but this is one of the smaller dykes that cuts across the Ring Dyke, and is therefore younger than it. Dykes of this type represent some of the very last igneous activity in Mull. I was reading up on the Sgurr of Eigg the other day, whcih you can see quite clearly from Mull if the weather is OK - the Sgurr is reckoned to be one of the very last, if not THE last example of igneous activity in Britain - Eocene period, 52 million years ago. The Mull rocks are a bit older than that. I feel a visit to Eigg coming on......
This is the actual Ring Dyke itself - up close and personal. At this point it is just like a wall of rock. Very impressive. No wonder the original Survey Officers got all excited...
This is more like it! Ben More, showing a snowy north face.
This is Ben More's neighbour, A'Chioch looking fine and pointy. This view is from further over, above Glen Clachaig from where the Cioch looks very impressive.
Right, back down at Loch Ba again - here is the fine hill of Beinn na Dubharach. Lots of the rock called gabbro up there, hence the knobbly craggy look to it. There is also a loch up on the hill called Lochan nam Ban-Uaine - lochan of the green women - Green? Jealousy? Fairies? Aliens? Fascinating name....
Heres another view across the loch to Sron nam Boc - this is where the ring Dyke outcrops on the NE Shore of the loch and gives rise to the line of crags up the hillside.
Here we are looking back to the SW part of the Ring Dyke (near where I started) The sun is really picking out the late dykes cutting across it (as in that picture above) The late dykes appear as parallel diagonal lines. Hadnt really noticed the effect before quite so strongly - must have been the way the sun was catching them.
And that was that. More soon hopefully!
Bye for now
JW(MM)
Comments
Wonderful photos, MM. I particularly like No. 3 (Loch Ba from above) and the last one showing the dykes. This reminds me of the effects of ancient settlements etc that are only visible in frosty conditions or with the sun at a particular angle. Thanks!
Jill from EK
thanks again,MM,good information and the photos make me really homesick
carol from over here
Gorgeous weather, lovely pics, MM. Another place to go and look at next time I'm there.
Iz from Flintshire
Iz Yes, definitley pay it a visit! I really like this part of Mull - actually there is something special about a lot of the inland lochs of Mull - all very atmospheric - the Mishnish Lochs on a frosty morning, Loch Uisg when the rhododendrons are in bloom, The Glen More lochs when it is wild and wet, even little Loch Staoineag in Iona has a beauty all of its own. But Loch Ba is probably my favorite - easy to get to, easy walking and great hills round about. And I didnt mention the geology , did I? :-)) MM
MM from Tobermory
one place i love around is loch tulla near glencoe--have photos of me as a child----and photos of my honeymoon taken there of course(then to the kingshouse,mmmm)
carol from frae here
MM, what is the origin of the ring dyke? It looks to be hugely high and presumably large around. If the Sgurr was THE last igneous activity then it was a grand finale! Thanks once more for a wonderfully interesting blog.
Barney from Swithiod rock of ages
Hello Barney - just got back - was away in Ballater for a few days at a birthday celebration! (Might be a blog entry on that soon..) Anyway, ring dykes - principle is fairly simple -as a magma chamber depletes as igneous activity progresses, you can get an unstable situation where a large block subsides - very often this has an "arcuate" fracture - into the fracture molten material gets injected - hey presto a ring dyke. That is basically the Mull scenario - down-faulted blocks with magma intruded along the line of the fault. Of course, it is never QUITE as neat as that, and as is the cae with the Loch Ba Ring Dyke, it isnt visible all the way around. In fact in some places it is pretty hard to find... Anyway, see you all again soon! MM
MM from Mull
Awesome! I'm only a cat and yet found that very understandable...
Flying Cat from an unstable situation
Exploring the hills and coasts of Mull and Iona and occasionally elsewhere, with a close eye on the geology
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