Take 5
Highlands Geology
The Highlands is home to some incredible geology and geologists. You can find some fascinating examples on Museum of the Highlands.
1) Compare the ages of our geological objects with other items from across the Highlands as your students learn to ‘Be a Curator’ with our quiz.
How old is it? | Museum of the Highlands
2) Next find out more about one of the oldest rocks on the planet. You can find Lewisian Gneiss at Gairloch Museum and explore the North-West Highlands geopark where it’s from in more detail in the Highlands Explorer activity.
Sample of Lewisian Gneiss | Museum of the Highlands
The Northwest Highlands Geopark | Museum of the Highlands
3) Learn about the life of an important Highlands geologist from history. Considered one of the finest geological writers of the 19th century, Hugh Miller lived in Cromarty.
Learn about his encounters with geology through his role as a stone mason, with the lovely carved stone at Cromarty Courthouse Museum.
Hugh Miller’s Eagle Stone | Museum of the Highlands
Hear from Geologist Dr Steven Andrews about the significance of this little stone.
What can a carved eagle tell us about geology? | Museum of the Highlands
4) Explore the fish fossil, Pterichthyodes milleri, named in Hugh Miller’s honour at Nairn Museum. It was research on these armoured fish that his reputation was built.
Fish Fossil | Museum of the Highlands
Discover more about what geologists can learn from these fish from Geologist Dr Steven Andrews.
What can geologists learn from a fossilised fish? | Museum of the Highlands
5) And if that’s not enough, there are a range of other incredible geological specimens to discover, including an ammonite and a belemnite from the Seaboard Centre and a sample of coal from Brora Heritage Centre, all on Museum of the Highlands.
Ammonite Fossil | Museum of the Highlands
Belemnite Fossils | Museum of the Highlands
Coal | Museum of the Highlands
