A revision of the Jurassic (Bathonian to Oxfordian) lithostratigraphy of the onshore Moray Firth Basin,north-east Scotland

Bathonian to Oxfordian strata occur onshore in two principal locations over 30 km apart on the coast of the Moray Firth, at Brora and Balintore. The existing lithostratigraphy has the same formation names applied to both successions despite profound differences, exemplified in their schemes of local members. Furthermore, three of the formation names include the same place name, and use obsolete lithological terms.     

The discovery of Isocrinus cf. robustus from the Lias Group (Lower Jurassic) near Dunrobin Castle, Sutherland, Scotland

A single stem section (pluricolumnal) belonging to a post-Palaeozoic crinoid (sea lily) is reported from a small outcrop of Lower Jurassic Lias Group strata exposed in low cliff near Dunrobin Castle. This is the first Jurassic crinoid recorded from Eastern Scotland and the small fragment has enough diagnostic characters to be assigned to the species Isocrinus cf. robustus; a crinoid found commonly in the Lower Jurassic of England. The Scottish form collected has unusual morphology that is atypical of the genus.     

The chronology and long term dynamics of a low energy river system: the Kelvin Valley,central Scotland

The long term (Holocene) channel and floodplain dynamics of a low gradient, low energy, fine grained aggradational fluvial system within a formerly glaciated landscape in central Scotland, the Kelvin Valley, are described from a series of sediment stratigraphic transects and 12 ¹⁴C assays in a headwater reach between Kirkintilloch and Kilsyth. The ¹⁴C assays and dated archaeological sites on the floodplain together suggest that the River Kelvin ceased to aggrade more than 2000 years ago, probably much more, so the 4–6 m of channel and floodplain deposits are almost entirely of early to mid‐Holocene age. The Kelvin Valley is characterized, despite its low flow characteristics, by a highly variable floodplain architecture, in which some transects suggest long term channel stability and strong partitioning of floodplain sedimentation and others indicate high channel mobility. This variation makes the application of general models of fluvial evolution difficult. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Trawls and cooling-water intakes as estuarine fish sampling tools: Comparisons of catch composition,trends in relative abundance,and length selectivity

Fish populations in estuaries are often monitored with traditional sampling gears such as trawls. Trawling is relatively expensive and may be hindered by environmental conditions such as tides and substrates. Power station cooling-water intake screens have been effectively used as estuarine fish sampling devices for many years, but very few quantitative comparisons of intake fish-catch characteristics with samples from other collection methods have been made. Fish collected at the cooling-water intake of a large power station in the lower Forth estuary, UK, were more similar in assemblage composition to fish caught by nearby pelagic trawling than to fish caught by Agassiz (demersal) trawling, mostly because the intake and pelagic-trawl catches were largely composed of clupeids (Sprattus sprattus and Clupea harengus). The intake catch was typified by pelagic, demersal, and benthic species, however, and was less variable than the catches made by the two trawls. Monthly trends in relative abundance correlated reasonably well between the intake and trawl samples. Fish collected at the intake tended to be significantly smaller than those collected by trawling, which was probably attributable to the intake's smaller mesh size. The study highlighted the utility of a cooling-water intake as an efficient, low-cost fish sampling device, which should be considered as an alternative to trawling as the cost of the latter increases into the future.     

Crystallization of melts, pegmatite intrusion and the Inverian retrogression of the Scourian complex, north-west Scotland

Abstract Partial melting of tonalitic gneisses in the 2.7 Ga Badcallian granulite facies metamorphic episode in the Scourian complex of north-west Scotland produced a suite of granitic to trondhjemitic liquids. On cooling and excavation of the complex, these melts underwent fractional crystallization and the residual liquids eventually became water saturated. Comparison with experimental data suggests that water saturation would have occurred in these melts at around 620–700°C. From the retrograde P–T -time path followed by the complex it is estimated that H₂O-dominated fluids were exsolved from these melts at c. 2.5 Ga. It is proposed that these fluids were the cause of the 2.5 Ga Inverian retrogression of the Scourian complex and that water-saturated melts formed during the crystallization of the leucogneisses were intruded as a suite of pegmatites. The timing of pegmatite intrusion is consistent with this proposition as are the temperature estimates, timing, distribution and nature of the Inverian phase of metamorphism. It is likely that the crystallization of melts is an important process in bringing about hydrous retrogressive metamorphic episodes in a number of other basement terrains, such as West Greenland and Australia.     

Amphibolite facies metamorphism in shear zones in the Buchan area of NE Scotland

Abstract A major system of steep Caledonian shear zones, of regional extent, has been identified in NE Scotland. The shear zones affect a wide range of lithologies, including Argyll and Southern Highland Group Dalradian, 'Younger Basic'intrusives and their hornfelses, and also the earlier of the more acid intrusions. The observed fabrics and parageneses are consistent with low-pressure amphibolite facies metamorphism. These shear zones represent a phase of movement which occurred in the 490-465 Ma interval when ambient temperatures were still high, and it is concluded that this is the principal control on the metamorphic grade achieved within the shear zones, although local anomalies may exist.     

Late Devensian and Holocene relative sealevel changes at Loch nan Eala,near Arisaig,northwest Scotland

Pollen, diatom, radiocarbon and lithostratigraphical data from isolation basins in northwest Scotland are used to quantify the reference water (tide) level, indicative range and age of differenty types of isolation and connection contacts. Tendencies of sea-level movement and relative sea-level changes from the mid-Lateglacial Interstadial (11.8 ka BP) to the late Holocene are constructed from these data. Relative sea-level fell continuously from + 17.8 m OD at 11.8 ka BP to ca. + 5.2 m OD at 10.1 ka BP. From an unkown minimum between 10 ka and 9 ka BP relative sea-level then rose to +6.3 m OD at 8.3 ka BP. The maximum Holocene sea-level occurred within the range +6.6 m OD to +9.3 m OD between 6.6 ka BP and 4.0 ka BP before falling to present. Isobase, age-altitude and quantitative rebound models for northwest Scotland are tested using these sealevel data, but none of the published models shows close agreement with the new results.     

The generation of quartz-normative melts and corundum-bearing restites by crustal anatexis: petrogenetic modelling based on an example from the Lewisian of North-West Scotland

Abstract Rare layers of an aluminous, muscovite-rich rock from the Lewisian Complex at Stoer, North-West Scotland, display evidence which suggests that the rock has undergone local partial melting to form quartz-bearing veins and a corundum-bearing restite. The assemblages observed in these rocks match those predicted by modelling in the system KAlO₂-NaAlO₂-Al₂O₃-SiO₂-H₂O (KNASH) where certain bulk compositions melt peritectically to give corundum-bearing restites and quartz-normative melts. Study of the model system shows that the observed parageneses could have formed from a range of bulk compositions with a variety of possible values of a H₂O which could have been internally or externally buffered. The KNASH petrogenetic grid, together with another in the system CaO-Na₂O-FeO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂-H₂O (CNFASH), allows the P–T path of the rocks to be delineated and an estimate to be made of the conditions at the peak of metamorphism as > 11 kbar and 900-925°C. This estimate is in agreement with P–T estimates using thermobarometric methods on adjacent lithologies: The activity of H₂O in the system throughout metamorphism is calculated to have been >0.3.