OR/14/063 Site assessment - ELC 27: Whitekirk
Whitbread, K, Ellen, R, Callaghan, E, Gordon, J E, and Arkley, S. 2014. East Lothian geodiversity audit. British Geological Survey Internal Report, OR/14/063. |
ELC_27: Whitekirk | |
Site Information | |
Location and Summary Description: The site comprises an area of streamlined bedrock characteristic of the ice-moulded lowlands of East Lothian. | |
National Grid Reference: Mid-point: 358181, 681015 |
Site type:
|
Site ownership: Local land owners | Current use: Agricultural land |
Field surveyors: John Gordon | Current geological designations: None |
Date visited: 26 September 2014 | Other designations: None known |
Site Map |
Site Description |
Background The site (approximately 1.5 km long) is located west of the village of Whitekirk, c.3 km to the north of East Linton. Quaternary Deposits and Landforms |
Stratigraphy and Rock Types | |
Age: Carboniferous | Formation: Garleton Hills Volcanic Formation |
Rock type: Mugearite, basalt |
Assessment of Site: Access and Safety | |
Aspect | Description |
Road access and parking | Whitekirk is accessible from the A198 south from North Berwick or via the A1/A199 from Edinburgh. The landforms can be easily viewed from the minor roads and footpaths that cross the area. |
Safety of access | Care is required parking on roadside verges. |
Safety of exposure | Not applicable. |
Access | Access is via agricultural land. The site can be viewed from the minor roads and footpaths that cross the area. |
Current condition | The principal requirement is to maintain the overall visibility of the landforms. The current condition of the features is generally good. |
Current conflicting activities | The area is used for agriculture which is generally compatible with maintaining the visibility of the landforms. |
Restricting conditions | Some of the rock outcrops are obscured by vegetation growth, notably the ice-abraded surfaces at Merrylaws. |
Nature of exposure | Landscape feature, glacial landforms. |
Assessment of Site: Culture, Heritage & Economic Value | |
Aspect | Description |
Historic, archaeological & literary associations | No known association. |
Aesthetic landscape | Limited value. |
History of Earth Sciences | The John Muir Way passes through part of the site. |
Economic geology | Former quarry to the south-east of Merrylaws — use unknown. |
Assessment of Site: GeoScientific Merit | ||||
Rarity | Quality | Literature/Collections | Primary Interest | |
Lithostratigraphy | ||||
Sedimentology | ||||
Igneous/Mineral/Metamorphic Geology | ||||
Structural Geology | ||||
Palaeontology | ||||
Geomorphology | Regional | Good | Kendall & Bailey, 1908[2]; Jackes, 1973[3]; Sissons, 1975[4]; Hall, 2012[1]. | X |
Site Geoscientific Value | ||||
The Whitekirk site is a good representative area of ice-moulded bedrock characteristic of lowland East Lothian. East Lothian is a particularly good example of an ice-moulded lowland. |
Assessment of Site: Current site usage | |
Community | Likely limited value — possible daily usage along John Muir Way during peak season. |
Education | Currently probably little used, but has some potential for education and public interpretation e.g. the John Muir Way crosses the site. |
Assessment of Site: Fragility and potential use of the site | |
Fragility | Waste tipping, the likelihood of development and extensive tree planting would affect the quality and visibility of landforms at the site. |
Potential use | School education, interpretation linking geology and landscape. Educational visits could be combined with visits to the Garleton Hills and North Berwick Law. |
Geodiversity Summary | |
The Whitekirk site is a good representative example of an ice-moulded lowland area, demonstrating streamlined bedrock formed by glacial erosion. It is relatively accessible and there is potential for developing the value of the site through promoting existing available information and engagement with schools. |
Site Photos | |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 HALL, A. 2012. East Lothian Landscapes [online: https://www.landforms.eu/Lothian/]
- ↑ KENDALL, P F, and BAILEY, E B. 1908. The glaciation of East Lothian south of the Garleton Hills. Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, 46, 1–31.
- ↑ JACKES, M. 1973. Sites of geomorphological interest in East Lothian. Unpublished report to the Nature Conservancy Council, Edinburgh.
- ↑ SISSONS, J B. 1975. The geomorphology of East Lothian. In Craig, G Y, and Duff, P McL D. (eds), The Geology of the Lothians and South-east Scotland: an Excursion Guide. Scottish Academic Press, Edinburgh, 131–143.