Leadhills and Wanlockhead - an excursion - Revision history

Scotfot at 22:30, 6 November 2015

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	'''By C.W. Borthwick. From Scottish Borders geology: an excursion guide edited by A.D. McAdam, E.N.K. Clarkson, P. Stone. Edinburgh : Scottish Academic Press (for Edinburgh Geological Society), 1992.'''		'''By C.W. Borthwick. From [[Scottish Borders geology: an excursion guide]] edited by A.D. McAdam, E.N.K. Clarkson, P. Stone. Edinburgh : Scottish Academic Press (for Edinburgh Geological Society), 1992.'''

JenniferFindlay1 at 10:58, 6 October 2015

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	==== 16. Corbie Linn: Graded Bedding and Conglomeratic Greywacke ====		==== 16. Corbie Linn: Graded Bedding and Conglomeratic Greywacke ====
	A narrow gully (NS 873 121), 100 m along a track on the west side of the B797 road south of Wanlockhead, is in typical greywacke. Some examples of graded bedding can be found in the fragments in the talus at the bottom of the gully. At the top a smaller gully extends north from the main gully. In the east face there is a small outcrop of a very well-developed conglomeratic greywacke with sharp angular rock fragments. A number of rock types can easily be distinguished in the clast assemblage.		A narrow gully (NS 873 121), 100 m along a track on the west side of the B797 road south of Wanlockhead, is in typical greywacke. Some examples of graded bedding can be found in the fragments in the talus at the bottom of the gully. At the top a smaller gully extends north from the main gully. In the east face there is a small outcrop of a very well-developed conglomeratic greywacke with sharp angular rock fragments. A number of rock types can easily be distinguished in the clast assemblage. [[File:P266685.jpg\|300px\|thumbnail\|right\|Leadhills, Lanarkshire. Manner' Scar, Susanna Vein. P266685]]

	==== 17. Belton Grain: Vein Dumps. ====		==== 17. Belton Grain: Vein Dumps. ====

Scotfot: /* 4. Sowen Burn: Slag Heaps, Graptolitic Shale */

2015-03-15T21:51:19Z

4. Sowen Burn: Slag Heaps, Graptolitic Shale

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	==== 4. Sowen Burn: Slag Heaps, Graptolitic Shale ====		==== 4. Sowen Burn: Slag Heaps, Graptolitic Shale ====
	Continue a short distance north-west to where the Sowen Burn joins Wanlock Water (~~855145~~). On the south side of the Burn the ruins of the old Meadowfoot ore-smelting mill can be seen, with the flues best preserved. This smelter operated from 1843 until the 1930s when it was dismantled and the machinery sold for scrap. Owing to the fumes from the smelting process, a large area has been denuded of vegetation and a miniature 'bad lands' topography has resulted.		Continue a short distance north-west to where the Sowen Burn joins Wanlock Water (NS 855 145). On the south side of the Burn the ruins of the old Meadowfoot ore-smelting mill can be seen, with the flues best preserved. This smelter operated from 1843 until the 1930s when it was dismantled and the machinery sold for scrap. Owing to the fumes from the smelting process, a large area has been denuded of vegetation and a miniature 'bad lands' topography has resulted.

	The slag heaps surrounding the Meadowfoot smelter arc of considerable mineralogical interest. Within the dumps arc pockets of blue-green mineralised slag, and in these are small crystals of a variety of minerals which have probably been produced by the action of rainwater on the slag heaps, subsequent to the smelting process, over a period of a century (Green 1987). These include anglesite, brochantite, caledonite, chenite, elyite, lanarkite, langite, leadhillite, linarite, litharge, paralaurionite and serpierite. The most remarkable association recorded is lautenthalite growing in orientated plates round wroewolfite.		The slag heaps surrounding the Meadowfoot smelter arc of considerable mineralogical interest. Within the dumps arc pockets of blue-green mineralised slag, and in these are small crystals of a variety of minerals which have probably been produced by the action of rainwater on the slag heaps, subsequent to the smelting process, over a period of a century (Green 1987). These include anglesite, brochantite, caledonite, chenite, elyite, lanarkite, langite, leadhillite, linarite, litharge, paralaurionite and serpierite. The most remarkable association recorded is lautenthalite growing in orientated plates round wroewolfite.

	There are exposures of chert and black shale in the Sowen Bum, and some of the black shales near the bottom of the stream and some outcrops at the very top have yielded good graptolites. Peach and Horne (1899, p. 293)<ref>Peach, B.N. and Horne, J. 1899. The Silurian rocks of Britain, 1, Scotland. Mem. Geol. Surv. U.K</ref> record a number of species, including Dicranograptus ramosus, ''Glyptograptus euglyphus'' and ''Dicellograptus sextans''. The exposures at the top of the burn are well developed and show faulted contacts between shale and chert.		There are exposures of chert and black shale in the Sowen Bum, and some of the black shales near the bottom of the stream and some outcrops at the very top have yielded good graptolites. Peach and Horne (1899, p. 293)<ref>Peach, B.N. and Horne, J. 1899. The Silurian rocks of Britain, 1, Scotland. Mem. Geol. Surv. U.K</ref> record a number of species, including Dicranograptus ramosus, ''Glyptograptus euglyphus'' and ''Dicellograptus sextans''. The exposures at the top of the burn are well developed and show faulted contacts between shale and chert.

	==== 5. Glencrieff Mine Dumps: Primary Minerals ====		==== 5. Glencrieff Mine Dumps: Primary Minerals ====

Scotfot at 21:49, 15 March 2015

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Scotfot at 21:47, 15 March 2015

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Scotfot: /* 5. Glencrieff Mine Dumps: Primary Minerals */

2015-03-15T21:35:31Z

5. Glencrieff Mine Dumps: Primary Minerals

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	==== 5. Glencrieff Mine Dumps: Primary Minerals ====		==== 5. Glencrieff Mine Dumps: Primary Minerals ====
	[[File:P266687.jpg\|400px\|thumbnail\|Glencrieff dumps. Wanlockhead, Dumfries. Photo:R. Gillanders.]]		[[File:P266687.jpg\|400px\|thumbnail\|Glencrieff dumps. Wanlockhead, Dumfries. Photo:R. Gillanders.]]
	Return towards Wanlockhead until Glencrieff Shaft (NS 865 133) is reached. A close examination of the dumps round this shaft should yield representative specimens of all the primary minerals which occur in the veins in this district. Good specimens of the following minerals can be found: galena, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, pyrite. Good specimens of the following gangue minerals are also easy to find: ankerite, calcite, barytes, quartz. Rare primary minerals include marcasite, niccolite, rammelsbergite, cobaltite (Temple 1956). Digging into the dumps is unlikely to be very rewarding. A close examination into the dump edges and any disturbed areas of the dump which have been washed by rain is more profitable. Excessive collecting is to be discouraged. Leave transport at Glencrieff Shaft and walk eastwards to Whyte's Cleugh. The transport should proceed to Glengonnar Shaft to await the party.		Return towards Wanlockhead until Glencrieff Shaft (NS 865 133) is reached. A close examination of the dumps round this shaft should yield representative specimens of all the primary minerals which occur in the veins in this district. Good specimens of the following minerals can be found: galena, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, pyrite. Good specimens of the following gangue minerals are also easy to find: ankerite, calcite, barytes, quartz. Rare primary minerals include marcasite, niccolite, rammelsbergite, cobaltite (Temple 1956)<ref>Temple, A.K. 1956. The Leadhills-Wanlockhead Lead and Zinc Deposits. Trans. R. Soc. Edin. 63, 85-109</ref>. Digging into the dumps is unlikely to be very rewarding. A close examination into the dump edges and any disturbed areas of the dump which have been washed by rain is more profitable. Excessive collecting is to be discouraged. Leave transport at Glencrieff Shaft and walk eastwards to Whyte's Cleugh. The transport should proceed to Glengonnar Shaft to await the party.

	The next three localities, 6, 7, and 8, are probably the most rewarding in secondary minerals. Specimens of the following may be found, some commonly, others rarely, in one or all of these localities: cerussite, anglesite, leadhillite, linarite, pyromorphite, vanadinite, smithsonite, hydrozincite, hemimorphite, malachite, azurite, chrysocolla.		The next three localities, 6, 7, and 8, are probably the most rewarding in secondary minerals. Specimens of the following may be found, some commonly, others rarely, in one or all of these localities: cerussite, anglesite, leadhillite, linarite, pyromorphite, vanadinite, smithsonite, hydrozincite, hemimorphite, malachite, azurite, chrysocolla.

Scotfot at 21:33, 15 March 2015

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	==== 5. Glencrieff Mine Dumps: Primary Minerals ====		==== 5. Glencrieff Mine Dumps: Primary Minerals ====
	[[File:P266687\|400px\|thumbnail\|Glencrieff dumps. Wanlockhead, Dumfries. Photo:R. Gillanders.]]		[[File:P266687.jpg\|400px\|thumbnail\|Glencrieff dumps. Wanlockhead, Dumfries. Photo:R. Gillanders.]]
	Return towards Wanlockhead until Glencrieff Shaft (NS 865 133) is reached. A close examination of the dumps round this shaft should yield representative specimens of all the primary minerals which occur in the veins in this district. Good specimens of the following minerals can be found: galena, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, pyrite. Good specimens of the following gangue minerals are also easy to find: ankerite, calcite, barytes, quartz. Rare primary minerals include marcasite, niccolite, rammelsbergite, cobaltite (Temple 1956). Digging into the dumps is unlikely to be very rewarding. A close examination into the dump edges and any disturbed areas of the dump which have been washed by rain is more profitable. Excessive collecting is to be discouraged. Leave transport at Glencrieff Shaft and walk eastwards to Whyte's Cleugh. The transport should proceed to Glengonnar Shaft to await the party.		Return towards Wanlockhead until Glencrieff Shaft (NS 865 133) is reached. A close examination of the dumps round this shaft should yield representative specimens of all the primary minerals which occur in the veins in this district. Good specimens of the following minerals can be found: galena, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, pyrite. Good specimens of the following gangue minerals are also easy to find: ankerite, calcite, barytes, quartz. Rare primary minerals include marcasite, niccolite, rammelsbergite, cobaltite (Temple 1956). Digging into the dumps is unlikely to be very rewarding. A close examination into the dump edges and any disturbed areas of the dump which have been washed by rain is more profitable. Excessive collecting is to be discouraged. Leave transport at Glencrieff Shaft and walk eastwards to Whyte's Cleugh. The transport should proceed to Glengonnar Shaft to await the party.

Scotfot: /* 5. Glencrieff Mine Dumps: Primary Minerals */

2015-03-15T21:32:25Z

5. Glencrieff Mine Dumps: Primary Minerals

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	==== 5. Glencrieff Mine Dumps: Primary Minerals ====		==== 5. Glencrieff Mine Dumps: Primary Minerals ====
			[[File:P266687\|400px\|thumbnail\|Glencrieff dumps. Wanlockhead, Dumfries. Photo:R. Gillanders.]]
	Return towards Wanlockhead until Glencrieff Shaft (NS 865 133) is reached. A close examination of the dumps round this shaft should yield representative specimens of all the primary minerals which occur in the veins in this district. Good specimens of the following minerals can be found: galena, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, pyrite. Good specimens of the following gangue minerals are also easy to find: ankerite, calcite, barytes, quartz. Rare primary minerals include marcasite, niccolite, rammelsbergite, cobaltite (Temple 1956). Digging into the dumps is unlikely to be very rewarding. A close examination into the dump edges and any disturbed areas of the dump which have been washed by rain is more profitable. Excessive collecting is to be discouraged. Leave transport at Glencrieff Shaft and walk eastwards to Whyte's Cleugh. The transport should proceed to Glengonnar Shaft to await the party.		Return towards Wanlockhead until Glencrieff Shaft (NS 865 133) is reached. A close examination of the dumps round this shaft should yield representative specimens of all the primary minerals which occur in the veins in this district. Good specimens of the following minerals can be found: galena, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, pyrite. Good specimens of the following gangue minerals are also easy to find: ankerite, calcite, barytes, quartz. Rare primary minerals include marcasite, niccolite, rammelsbergite, cobaltite (Temple 1956). Digging into the dumps is unlikely to be very rewarding. A close examination into the dump edges and any disturbed areas of the dump which have been washed by rain is more profitable. Excessive collecting is to be discouraged. Leave transport at Glencrieff Shaft and walk eastwards to Whyte's Cleugh. The transport should proceed to Glengonnar Shaft to await the party.

	The next three localities, 6, 7, and 8, are probably the most rewarding in secondary minerals. Specimens of the following may be found, some commonly, others rarely, in one or all of these localities: cerussite, anglesite, leadhillite, linarite, pyromorphite, vanadinite, smithsonite, hydrozincite, hemimorphite, malachite, azurite, chrysocolla.		The next three localities, 6, 7, and 8, are probably the most rewarding in secondary minerals. Specimens of the following may be found, some commonly, others rarely, in one or all of these localities: cerussite, anglesite, leadhillite, linarite, pyromorphite, vanadinite, smithsonite, hydrozincite, hemimorphite, malachite, azurite, chrysocolla.

	==== 6. Whyte's Cleugh: Secondary Minerals ====		==== 6. Whyte's Cleugh: Secondary Minerals ====

Scotfot at 21:26, 15 March 2015

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	==== 1. Clowgill Dod: Arenig Sedimentary Rocks ====		==== 1. Clowgill Dod: Arenig Sedimentary Rocks ====
	On the west face of Clowgill Dod (NS 889 180) are good exposures of volcanic rocks, shales and cherts showing red-staining of the cherts. The structural relationships of the rock types are complex. Exposures of chert and shale can be examined going up the bed of the Bellgill Burn for 400 m till the foot of a dry cleugh on the north side is reached. On the north face the shales show the typical bleaching effect which occurs in shales close to outcrop in this area. Close examination shows that the shales have been considerably faulted. The south face of the section is of greywacke which has been faulted against the shales. Outcrops of chert continue in the burn bed for only a further 50 m upstream from the cleugh. The greywackes from this point to the source of the burn are more massive with well-developed jointing. In some places sedimentary structures can be seen on water-worn bedding surfaces. Further upstream is the first of the old lead mines of Bulmer's Moss.		On the west face of Clowgill Dod (NS 889 180) are good exposures of volcanic rocks, shales and cherts showing red-staining of the cherts. The structural relationships of the rock types are complex. Exposures of chert and shale can be examined going up the bed of the Bellgill Burn for 400 m till the foot of a dry cleugh on the north side is reached. On the north face the shales show the typical bleaching effect which occurs in shales close to outcrop in this area. Close examination shows that the shales have been considerably faulted. The south face of the section is of greywacke which has been faulted against the shales. Outcrops of chert continue in the burn bed for only a further 50 m upstream from the cleugh. The greywackes from this point to the source of the burn are more massive with well-developed jointing. In some places sedimentary structures can be seen on water-worn bedding surfaces. Further upstream is the first of the old lead mines of Bulmer's Moss.
	[[File:P527920.jpg\|thumbnail\|300\|left\|A specimen of galena, the primary lead ore from the Leadhills-Wanlockhead mining district, Dumfriesshire. British Geological Survey Petrology Collection sample number MC 7696. Galena is lead sulphide, a mineral of the cubic crystal system. It is often found in lead-grey crystals of cubo-octahedral form or more usually in compact, granular masses with many shiny faces. The Leadhills - Wanlockhead mining district was the dominant source of lead in Scotland. Exploitation continued into the 1930s and resumed briefly in the 1950s. P527920.]]		[[File:P527920.jpg\|thumbnail\|300\|left\|A specimen of galena, the primary lead ore from the Leadhills-Wanlockhead mining district, Dumfriesshire. British Geological Survey Petrology Collection sample number MC 7696. Galena is lead sulphide, a mineral of the cubic crystal system. It is often found in lead-grey crystals of cubo-octahedral form or more usually in compact, granular masses with many shiny faces. The Leadhills - Wanlockhead mining district was the dominant source of lead in Scotland. Exploitation continued into the 1930s and resumed briefly in the 1950s. [http://geoscenic.bgs.ac.uk/asset-bank/action/viewAsset?id=102672 P527920].]]
	==== 2. Big Wool Gill: Greywackes and Mine Dumps ====		==== 2. Big Wool Gill: Greywackes and Mine Dumps ====
	Return to the road and continue for 1.4 km towards Leadhills until Big Wool Gill (NS 885 165) goes off to the east. The gill gives an excellent section through the vein-bearing greywackes. Near the bottom of the stream in the wood, exposures of a felsite dyke can be seen. A few metres to the north of this point is a mine dump around an old mine shaft. The waste material is all sheared black shale, which occurs, together with chert, near one of the main crush zones in the drainage adit across the road. On the west side of the main road round the old mine shaft is a chert outcrop. Underground this can be seen to be in faulted contact with the greywacke which crops out further up the Glengonnar Water. The north-cast to south-west face of this chert outcrop is close to the actual line of the fault seen underground.		Return to the road and continue for 1.4 km towards Leadhills until Big Wool Gill (NS 885 165) goes off to the east. The gill gives an excellent section through the vein-bearing greywackes. Near the bottom of the stream in the wood, exposures of a felsite dyke can be seen. A few metres to the north of this point is a mine dump around an old mine shaft. The waste material is all sheared black shale, which occurs, together with chert, near one of the main crush zones in the drainage adit across the road. On the west side of the main road round the old mine shaft is a chert outcrop. Underground this can be seen to be in faulted contact with the greywacke which crops out further up the Glengonnar Water. The north-cast to south-west face of this chert outcrop is close to the actual line of the fault seen underground.

Scotfot at 21:24, 15 March 2015

2015-03-15T21:24:50Z

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	==== 1. Clowgill Dod: Arenig Sedimentary Rocks ====		==== 1. Clowgill Dod: Arenig Sedimentary Rocks ====
	On the west face of Clowgill Dod (NS 889 180) are good exposures of volcanic rocks, shales and cherts showing red-staining of the cherts. The structural relationships of the rock types are complex. Exposures of chert and shale can be examined going up the bed of the Bellgill Burn for 400 m till the foot of a dry cleugh on the north side is reached. On the north face the shales show the typical bleaching effect which occurs in shales close to outcrop in this area. Close examination shows that the shales have been considerably faulted. The south face of the section is of greywacke which has been faulted against the shales. Outcrops of chert continue in the burn bed for only a further 50 m upstream from the cleugh. The greywackes from this point to the source of the burn are more massive with well-developed jointing. In some places sedimentary structures can be seen on water-worn bedding surfaces. Further upstream is the first of the old lead mines of Bulmer's Moss.		On the west face of Clowgill Dod (NS 889 180) are good exposures of volcanic rocks, shales and cherts showing red-staining of the cherts. The structural relationships of the rock types are complex. Exposures of chert and shale can be examined going up the bed of the Bellgill Burn for 400 m till the foot of a dry cleugh on the north side is reached. On the north face the shales show the typical bleaching effect which occurs in shales close to outcrop in this area. Close examination shows that the shales have been considerably faulted. The south face of the section is of greywacke which has been faulted against the shales. Outcrops of chert continue in the burn bed for only a further 50 m upstream from the cleugh. The greywackes from this point to the source of the burn are more massive with well-developed jointing. In some places sedimentary structures can be seen on water-worn bedding surfaces. Further upstream is the first of the old lead mines of Bulmer's Moss.
			[[File:P527920.jpg\|thumbnail\|300\|left\|A specimen of galena, the primary lead ore from the Leadhills-Wanlockhead mining district, Dumfriesshire. British Geological Survey Petrology Collection sample number MC 7696. Galena is lead sulphide, a mineral of the cubic crystal system. It is often found in lead-grey crystals of cubo-octahedral form or more usually in compact, granular masses with many shiny faces. The Leadhills - Wanlockhead mining district was the dominant source of lead in Scotland. Exploitation continued into the 1930s and resumed briefly in the 1950s. P527920.]]
	==== 2. Big Wool Gill: Greywackes and Mine Dumps ====		==== 2. Big Wool Gill: Greywackes and Mine Dumps ====
	Return to the road and continue for 1.4 km towards Leadhills until Big Wool Gill (NS 885 165) goes off to the east. The gill gives an excellent section through the vein-bearing greywackes. Near the bottom of the stream in the wood, exposures of a felsite dyke can be seen. A few metres to the north of this point is a mine dump around an old mine shaft. The waste material is all sheared black shale, which occurs, together with chert, near one of the main crush zones in the drainage adit across the road. On the west side of the main road round the old mine shaft is a chert outcrop. Underground this can be seen to be in faulted contact with the greywacke which crops out further up the Glengonnar Water. The north-cast to south-west face of this chert outcrop is close to the actual line of the fault seen underground.		Return to the road and continue for 1.4 km towards Leadhills until Big Wool Gill (NS 885 165) goes off to the east. The gill gives an excellent section through the vein-bearing greywackes. Near the bottom of the stream in the wood, exposures of a felsite dyke can be seen. A few metres to the north of this point is a mine dump around an old mine shaft. The waste material is all sheared black shale, which occurs, together with chert, near one of the main crush zones in the drainage adit across the road. On the west side of the main road round the old mine shaft is a chert outcrop. Underground this can be seen to be in faulted contact with the greywacke which crops out further up the Glengonnar Water. The north-cast to south-west face of this chert outcrop is close to the actual line of the fault seen underground.