Scotland Geology: Book Series Review
The Storr formed during landslips as the older, softer sedimentary rock gave way and the harder igneous rock above broke away from the hillside forming pinnacles of rock that point skyward..
UPDATED: 2/5/2023
Note: Some links throughout our site are affiliate links, which means we may receive a small commission at no cost to you.
Review of 4 Books on Scottish Geology
This blog contains a review of four books by Alan McKirdy: (1) Cairngorms: Landscapes in Stone; (2) Edinburgh: Landscapes in Stone; (3) Skye: Landscapes in Stone; and (4) Set in Stone: The Geology and Landscapes of Scotland, varying from 47-97 pages in length,and published from 2015-2017
YOU MAY ENJOY THESE BOOKS IF YOU LIKE:
Science * Geology * History * Hiking
TRAVEL INSPIRATION:
Scotland is filled with beautiful and striking landscapes that have been shaped by geologic forces acting over billions of years. By knowing a little bit about how these landscapes formed enables travelers to better appreciate the beauty around them and also choose locations based on “must see” features.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Alan McKirdy
Author of at least 15 books on Geology and the former Head of Information Management at Scottish Natural Heritage, Alan McKirdy has devoted much of his life to furthering public knowledge as well as promoting the study of environmental geology in schools.
Of course you can simply be amazed at the famous beauty of Kilt Rock but understanding that what you are seeing are layers of Jurrasic age sedimentary deposits sandwiched between layers of cooled lava that flowed from the Skye volcano 60 million years ago is so much more interesting!
REVIEW OF Book Set in Stone: The Geology and Landscapes of Scotland, as well as the series: Landscapes in Stone:
Most people don’t spend much time thinking about the ground beneath their feet nor do they stop to consider how that ground formed or how it has changed over the millennia. This fact is quite understandable considering that, in most locations, the history of the Earth is buried beneath unassuming dirt and soil. However, when we booked our trip to Scotland I knew I would have to brush up on my local geology mainly because Scotland is, after all, a country built upon land that has a history that goes back over 3 billion years! To aid me in my studies, Lindsey found a book series by Alan McKirdy that goes through Scotland’s past in quick and easy to read sections.
Alan McKirdy has created a wonderful set of books that are directed toward the general public. Any reader should be able to pick up and comprehend basic geologic concepts, the geologic history of Scotland, and the basic evidence supporting these geologic conclusions. Alongside the text of these books are beautiful pictures, tables, and charts that really help make the subject come alive and provide the reader with a visual to better understand the geologic concepts presented.
While this may sound very much like a textbook, it is written in a relaxed and friendly style that pulls the reader onward with a pace that doesn’t dwell on any subject longer than necessary. As a result, a hardcore geologist may find the information presented lacking a certain depth but the average reader (the intended audience) will find that just enough information was presented to give them a good working knowledge of both geology basics and enough specific information about Scotland’s geologic history to be able to understand when and how different parts of Scotland were formed.
Did you know: Salisbury Crags and Arthur’s Seat just outside downtown Edinburgh are actually the remains of an ancient volcano?!?
Book review: Set in Stone: The Geology and Landscapes of Scotland by Alan McKirdy
Providing an overall picture of Scotland’s geologic history, Set in Stone sets out to not only give a rough history of Scotland’s own geologic history but also introduce the concepts of geology to its audience. The unique terrain of Scotland provided early geologists with a perfect opportunity to study much of our Earth’s geologic past. In fact, several notable Scottish citizens are known for discovering facts that began the study of modern Geology.
By providing explanations and pictures of geologic evidence found in specific regions of Scotland as well as evidence found in the fossil record, McKirdy weaves an engaging story about Scotland’s past. This short 97 page book is definitely worth a read because it not only provides a primer for Scottish geology but also allows the reader to begin to notice similar geological patterns elsewhere in the world thus allowing the reader to engage with landscapes in a deeper manner than before.
book reviews: Landscapes in Stone - (3 books) The Cairngorms, Skye, and Edinburgh by Alan McKirdy
While McKirdy has written books on other regions of Scotland, I only read those pertaining to the regions we would be traveling through. The Cairngorms, Skye, and Edinburgh are each shorter than Set in Stone: The Geology and Landscapes of Scotland and - as you would expect - they go into more detail and discuss regionally-specific geologic forces that shaped each area.
As each book was written to be a stand-alone work, sections of each book are intentionally redundant and often relay the same information in a slightly different manner. If reading these books back-to-back ,the reader will either enjoy the repetition, which allows new knowledge to better sink into memory, or they might simply skip over the duplicate sections. Overall each book has plenty of regionally-specific information and is worth a read especially if you are traveling to the area and seek to better understand how the geologic features of Scotland were formed.
Click the image below to save this post to Pinterest!
Check out our other posts about Scotland:
Scotland bound?
Check out our trip for ideas!