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Physiography: The Southern Uplands Fault and the the Northern Uplnads Fault separate  a rift valley from bounding highlands.  the Great Glen Fault further divides the northern highland region into the Northern Highlands and the Grampians.  From North to South, the physiographic regions are Northern Highlands, Grampians, Midland Valley, and Southern Uplands.

Rock outcrop
Mainly Lewsian  and Torridonian rocks northwest of the Moine Thrust, and in the Outer Hebrides --in the foreland; 

Moinian Rocks in the Moine Thrust sheet  of the Northwestern Highlands and partly south of the Great Glen Fault in the Grampians --Caledonian Fold Belt ; 

Dalradian Rocks in the Grampians and Central Highlands

Lower  Paleozoic Rocks in the Southern Uplands;

Upper Paleozoic Rocks in the in the Midland Valley, Southern Uplands, in the Northwestern highlands up to the Shetlands

Caledonide Granites (Last granite)  intrude the Highlands

Tertiary Volcanics  across Skye and Mull, opening of the Atlantic Ocean

Major tectonic episodes
1) 26000 Ma- Deformation and metamorphism of Lewisian Rocks
      2250 Ma- intrusion by Scourie basic dikes.
2)   1600 MA-  Deformation and metamorphism of  Lewisian Rocks, Laxfordian stage.
3)   740 Ma-  Knoydart pegamatites and dikes accompanied by or predates by metamorphism of the Moines
4)   440 Ma- Caledonian folding of the Dalradians accompanied by metamorphism (Ordovician)
5)   390 Ma-  later metamorphism of the Moines (Late Silurian to earliest Devonian)
6)   Late Silurian to Middle Devonian: "Main " Caledonian movements, including the Moine and associated thrusts
7)   ca 270 Ma- Late carboniferous:  "main Hercynian movements
8)   25- 10 Ma-  mid Tertiary:  Later Alpine movements
 

Wrench faults of Scotland, Craig, 1965, p.29.
Left lateral strike slip faults of the Scottish Highlands showing the 65 miles displacement along the Great Glen (compare Strontian and Foyers Granites), and about 77 miles displacement along the inferred Minch fault (compare displacement of Scourian structures).

Other tidbits bits;

West of Minch Fault are the Outer Hebrides

Loch Ness is located on the Great Glen Fault

Rivers flowing from the NW to southeast toward the Great Glen are Cosecant, those flowing from the SE northwestwards to the Great Glen are resequent.  Others that flow parallel to strike are subsequent.

Lock Lomond is located across the Highland Boundary Fault

 


 
 
 
 

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Trends of Caledonian Dykes, Mercy, 1965, p.259

The maximum amount of dike emplacement occurred during late Silurian and Lower Old Red sandstone Period. It is related to the emplacement of three Last Granite, but not to the effusion of Lower Old Reds sandstone volcanic rocks.  The Caledonian dikes are abundant in the Grampians and Southern Uplands.  They are diorites. 

Trends:
In the Grampians and south-west highlands  trend is generally NNE except in Ben Nevis which is NE.
In the Southern Uplands it is NNW.
In the Cheviots there are two tends NE, and NNW
In the Northern Highlands the prevalent direction is E-W, and WNW, and occasionally N-S as in Colonsay and the Shetlands.

The four intrusions (Etvie, Ben Nevis, Glen Tilt, and Loxhnagar) and their associated dike  swarms in the Grampians are parallel to the great Glen, while those in the Southern uplands are parallel to the Southern Uplands Fault.  It appears that there is a direct connection between igneous intrusion and their associated dikes, and, at least, the initiation of fault lines, crustal adjustment s taking the form of relative tension.  But, trends of caledonian dikes of the Northern Highlands do not appear to be related to major faults.
 

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Photo from Geology guide; Holyrood Park, 2000


 Photo from Geology guide; Holyrood Park, 2000

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Photo by H G Churnet, 2001



 

Photo by H G Churnet, 2001

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Photo by H G Churnet, 2001

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Photo by H G Churnet, 2001
 

Hutton's Unconformity at Siccar Point is further to the left of the photo of Cocburnspath seascape. The following is a description of Late Tertiary uplift by Craig,1965 given as caption to the photo.

The beach platform, mainly of Lower Carbobniferous rocks, impinges against drift-covered cliffs of a higher platform which in turn ends in a step to a still higher platform. Further signs of pulsed emergence are the sharply incised gorges of rejuvenated local streams
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