McKirdy, A., Gordon, J. & Crofts, R. 2007. “Land of Mountain and Flood. The Geology and Landforms of Scotland.” Birlinn Ltd. ISBN 978-1841583570. (Hard covers, some copies still available through specialist book suppliers). Now published (2009) as a paperback: ISBN 978-1841586267 £20.00. Reviewed by Alastair M D Gemmell
McKirdy, A., Gordon, J. & Crofts, R. 2007. “Land of Mountain and Flood. The Geology and Landforms of Scotland.”
As an academic, I frequently have to mark essays and exam answers which make it clear that students have an enthusiasm, indeed a degree of excitement for the drama of the evolution of the Scottish landscape, but that such interest does not necessarily come with an accurate recollection of the relevant facts! It is therefore little wonder that this book is one of the recommended texts which they are advised to consult and absorb. It is not only wide-ranging in the topics it covers but is also a book that the reader can dip into and extract nuggets of information without being swamped in scientific technicalities. If this statement sounds like a criticism, it is not intended as such. Instead it is a reflection as to how well the authors have achieved their initial aim, stated in the preface as ‘.to reveal the story of Scotland’s geological past and its rich Earth heritage to an audience beyond the academic world.‘ Although the text does deal with some technicalities of geological and geomorphological theory, it generally does so in plain language with the aid of clear diagrams and excellent photographs.
The actual content of the book has been summarised by the authors themselves in the preface when they say: “In this book, we explain the formation of Scotland’s landscapes and landforms and how they are closely linked to the underlying rocks and the natural processes that have shaped the surface of the Earth. This is woven around the story of shifting continents as Scotland journeyed across the surface of the globe from near the Equator, towards the South Pole and then north to its present location. We also recognise and celebrate the many important contributions that Scots, or those working in Scotland, have made to Earth science through fundamental discoveries about how the Earth works.” While this is a noble and laudable approach, the sheer range of information produces a ‘hybrid’ book, part of which is about geological and geomorphological theory, part of which is about Scotland per se, and part is a potted history of the role Scotland and the Scots have played in the development of the Earth Sciences. This spreading of the foci of interest rather dilutes the impact of the book on the reader, which is a pity and makes it more likely that this is a book which the reader will dip into to extract information rather than settle down to read it from cover to cover.
Following an introductory chapter, which presents an overview of the ways in which geology has not only been of significance in the evolution of Scottish heritage and culture, but also has had a role to play in the management and conservation of the Scottish environment, the book goes on to discuss geological and geomorphological processes such as plate tectonics and orogenesis, volcanic activity, geological timescales, and climate changes over the aeons. This is presented in a readable fashion, but is rather frustrating to the better-informed reader in that it is a collection of themes rather than a comprehensive overview (though such an overview would be worthy of a book in itself).
The next three chapters discuss the development of the present landscape of Scotland and its potential future evolution. Chapter 3 (Scotland’s Journey across the Globe) reviews the history of the various components of the geology of present-day Scotland over the past 750 million years, discussing the movement of those components over the surface of the globe, the various tectonic and climatic conditions encountered in this process and how those have been reflected in the rocks we see outcropping in the different parts of Scotland. Wherever possible, present-day analogues for these events have been used to illustrate these conditions and to give the reader a better sense of what these past landscapes of Scotland must have resembled. The following chapter (Shaping the Landscape) takes a similar approach with respect to the evolution of the present day topographic features. It focuses on events which have created landforms over the past 65 million years, including the origins of the present day drainage patterns and the impact of subsequent glaciations over the last 2.7 million years. This chapter also contains a detailed look at the Scottish coastline, paying particular attention to its dynamic nature as illustrated by relict traces of former sea-levels and present day cliffs and beaches, and concludes with a very brief overview of the impact of human impacts on the landscape. From an archaeological viewpoint though, it is a pity that this last section had not been more comprehensively developed.
It has to be said that Chapter 5 (Future Landscapes: Scotland in a Global Context) is largely [and necessarily] speculative in nature, and focuses primarily on what the possible impacts of projected climate change might be in Scotland over the next century or so. It then goes on to look at possible changes on greater timescales, thousands of years (looking at the likelihood of renewed glacial activity which might impact in Scotland) and millions of years (a scenario based almost entirely on extrapolation of plate tectonic movements into the distant future).
The final chapter of the book fits rather awkwardly with what has gone before, but for many readers it may be the most consulted part of the book. In essence this chapter is an appendix, detailing a series of locations around Scotland which the authors recommend to the visitor. The interest may be the local geology or the geomorphology, and suggestions are made regarding places to go in these areas. Descriptions of what the visitor can see at such locations are given, and diagrams and photographs used to whet the appetite. Almost inevitably there is some overlap between material in this chapter and exemplars referred to in the earlier chapters, but here all that information has been gathered together for ease of access. This material might be used to plan anything from a day out to a geological tour of Scotland. Some of the sites, such as Siccar Point in Berwickshire have been included as being of interest in the history of the development of geological theory, but others are much less specific. They may range in scale from the Cairngorms or the entire isle of Arran down to the Fossil Grove at Victoria Park in Glasgow, but all are worth visiting. The last site described is particularly unusual, in that it is the A9 road from Dunblane to Inverness – over 200km of geological interest expressed in terms of highlights, a structure which in several ways encapsulates the overall approach used in this book.
This is a book aimed at the non-specialist reader, and generally succeeds in presenting the often complex material in ways with which such a reader can readily engage. I am not sure whether it is the fact that it was written by three people, but there are a number of examples of redundancy in the content which could possibly have been reduced through rigorous editing. However this has come about it is not of huge significance if, as I suspect, the majority of readers simply dip into this book to pull out nuggets of information rather than read it from end to end. Whatever the approach they adopt though, they will find this a rewarding book which will do more than inform and educate – it will give added depth and interest to any venture into the Scottish countryside whether it be an informal ramble, a coach tour or a residential field trip. Anyone with an interest in Scotland would find this a worthy and stimulating addition to their bookshelves.