Creag an Fheilidh (Kilt Rock) EarthCache
Hidden : 6/19/2007
Difficulty:
1 out of 5
Terrain:
1 out of 5

Size: Size: other (other)

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Geocache Description:

Kilt Rock is a spectacular rock formation south of Staffin on the Trotternish peninsula, Skye. From the parking lot it is just a short distance to the viewing area, also accessible for wheelchairs..

Although there are no living volcanoes on the British mainland, the UK has an interesting volcanic history. For instance, Edinburgh, the Scottish capital is built on an extinct volcano called Arthur's seat, the mountains of north Wales are the remains of a huge volcanic plateau and there are volcanic rocks distributed throughout the British Isles.
A volcano is an opening in the earth's surface through which magma, molten rock, ash and gases are erupted onto the surface.
The 200ft-high cliffs take their name from the vertical basalt columns which resemble the folds of a kilt. There is also a waterfall where the River Mealt plunges 200 feet straight down to the shore.


To get credit for this Earthcache please answer the following Study Questions and email us your findings. It would be great if you could share a nice picture of the area with us.
Please do not post any answers with your log.
 

1. Kilt Rock is a high sea cliff. How tall is it?
2. The colums are made of very hard rock which stand on top of softer sandstone. What is the name of the rock those columns are made of?
3. It took a long time to form this part of Skye. What timeframe are we talking about?

Outwith the area of the Cuillin and the Red Hills, the most voluminous group of igneous intrusions are the basic sills of northern Skye. These sills are a prominent feature of the eastern and northern coastal areas of the Trotternish Peninsula, but they are even more extensive on the sea bed of the southern Minch and the Little Minch and form the Shiant Islands, the Ascrib Islands, Fladda-chuain, Eilean Trodday and the islands of Staffin Bay.
They are intruded mainly into Jurassic strata, below the lava plateau, and form gently inclined sheets up to 90m thick. Several sills are commonly stacked together to form a sill complex with a near-constant total thickness of about 250m.
The rocks are all varieties of dolerite, intermediate in grain size between the basalts of the lava flows and the gabbros of the major intrusions, but similar in composition. Vertical columnar jointing is usually very well developed and is well seen, for example, at the popular `Kilt Rock', south of Staffin.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Vasbezngvba pna or bognvarq ol fghqlvat gur vasbezngvba cebivqrq ng Xvyg Ebpx

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


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