Scotland rocks: learn more about the geology that shapes our landscape

Created by natural processes over the last 3 billion years, Scotland’s rocks and landforms (our geology and geomorphology) not only help us to understand how the Earth evolved, they also play a major role in shaping who we are and how we live; providing the foundation of our biodiversity, scenery, and cultural heritage.

•   Scotland's environment web
•   June 30, 2017

The Scotland's environment website has a wealth of information and data to help you explore and learn more about this fascinating topic.

The Our environment topic – Rocks and landforms is packed full of information on the different rocks and landforms you can find in Scotland, how we benefit from them and what is being done by our partners, and others, to protect and maintain this aspect of our environment. You’ll also find links to data held by the British Geological Survey (BGS); with over 400 data sets in their care and some really innovative ways of bringing the data to life, there’s sure to be something that catches your interest.

The website features three great mobile apps that you can download to your smart phone. Both iGeology and iGeology 3D provide you with geological maps that you can use to explore the rocks beneath your feet when you’re out and about, and myVolcano enables you to share photographs and descriptions of volcanic hazards, as well as collecting samples and measurements of volcanic ash fall, helping scientists to gather vital new information about volcanic eruptions.

Or why not explore our map tool, where you can select, view and explore geology related data layers from our partner organisations. This includes data on urban geochemical reports, boreholes and bedrock age and types.

Want to know more?

Look out for future blog posts covering our rocks and landforms theme over the next couple of weeks. We’ll be hearing from colleagues at the British Geological Survey (BGS) about how they’re using Minecraft to bring geology to life, and we’ll be catching up with our resident blogger Willie Towers in his next instalment of Where’s Willie?

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