The Boddam Flint Quarries is a Scheduled Ancient Monument. Please treat the area with respect. I ask that you only pick up loose flint, and return where you found it. Please DO NOT remove any flint from the site; this is against the law. This earthcache was created to give you an experience to take with you: not a souvenir to take home.
The Source of the Flint: The Buchan Gravels
The Buchan Gravels were formed through topographic inversion over the last 55 million years. The hard flint and quartzite pebbles and cobbles that we find today are what remain of ancient marine gravel after severe weathering. The gravel formed an ancient beach when sea levels were higher. During the Palaeogene, the land lifted up and the sea receded. The gravel was lifted with it and now sits on some of the highest land in Buchan, over 100 metres above sea level! The valley that you see before you is the Den of Boddam, a glacial drainage channel cut into the Peterhead granite.
The formation of Flint
Flint is formed through a sedimentary process called diagenesis…. Cavities within the sedimentary rock fill up and solidify, creating the unusual formations found on some of the pebbles. Most of the flint pebbles I’ve found at Boddam have been of typical pebble shape, but some have unusual pock-marks and indents on them, like stone potatoes. Flint is one of the rocks to commonly have fossils in it.
Boddam Flint Quarry
Boddam is the only known site in Scotland where there is still evidence of prehistoric mining for flint. Bell pits were dug to reach the flint. It must have been hard work, digging down over 2 metres by hand, but it was a valuable resource! Some of the hollows you can see were from archaeological digs between 1991 and 1993. These dated the flint mining to late Neolithic times, approx. 3000 BC.
What was flint used for?
Flint was formed into tools during the Stone Age by knapping; chipping away bits of flint with a harder object to create the desired shape. Flint was an essential multi-purpose tool for Neolithic life. Some of you may use the modern equivalent of flint, ferrocerium, for camping. Flint was used for building, especially in the chalk-soil areas of England where other building materials were scarce. The availability of granite in North-East Scotland explains the lack of it in buildings up here. The sharp edge of a knapped flint was perfect for use for cutting many things, before metals became more known and available.
How to get there…
The Boddam flint quarries can be found at the Den Dam, just south of Peterhead. Please park considerately at the parking coordinates so that access is kept clear. Take the footpath gate to your right and follow the good grassy track to the next gate.
Please keep geopups under close control as all the land you are accessing is used for livestock.
There are picnic tables when you go through the gate and arrive at the dam, and the area is quiet, so it’s a nice idea to take lunch with you and do a bit of exploring along the banks of the dam if it’s a nice day! It is possible to walk down either side of the dam, as the dam has been used for many years now for model yacht racing by a number of local clubs.
To log this Earthcache first you must send the answers to the following questions, along with the requested photograph. Please read the questions and above passages carefully before answering. Some answers are available at the site, some you may need to explore online, or use your imagination...
- Flint is thought to have formed through a process called diagenesis. What factor makes this formation process different to metamorphism?
- Find a flint pebble, and hold it in your hand. How does it feel? What is the texture and shape like? Can you explain what factor created the shape and texture of this pebble?
- The stream that runs from the Den Dam was utilised in the granite works near Millbank, where granite was polished using the famous Jenny Lind machine developed in America. The granite could be sourced locally. Can you name a local granite quarry?
- Look around the paths and disturbed ground, and see if you can find a piece of knapped flint. Imagine that this was your mobile phone – the one thing in your life you couldn’t live without! Describe two specific activities you would use that sharp edge for if you lived in Neolithic North East Scotland.
- Take a walk along the dam. You may see something familiar in the wall…. *OPTIONAL* take a picture of this, with you or your GPS (yes, it will be a close-up!) or tell me in your answers what you see.
For a longer walk, park at the Stirlinghill Old Railway cache (GC3Q8DV) and here you can join the Stirling Hill Access Network path. These paths are worth a wander as there are nice views, although wrap up warm as the wind often comes off the sea!