Set in Stone

The land that became Scotland has travelled across the globe over the last 3 billion years - from close to the South Pole to its current position 56 degrees North of the Equator. During this journey there were many continental collisions that created mountains as high as the present-day Himalayas. The Highaldns of Scotland were formed in this way. Our climate has changed too over this long time span, from the scorching heat of the desert during Permian times 250 million years ago to the deep freeze of the Ice Age. And within a relatively short time - geologically speaking - the ice will return.

In this book, Alan McKirdy traces Scotland's amazing geological journey, explaining for the non-specialist reader why the landscape looks the way it does today.

He also introduces Scots and those working in Scotland who have played a seminal role in the development of the science of geology.