Discover the Beauty of the Moine Thrust

The best place to admire the intense natural beauty and rugged nature of Knockan Crag is at Moine Thrust. This area can be found in the large and lovely Inverpolly Nature Reserve and a special nature trail leads the way up and along the crag and through the succession of unique Cambrian sediments that the area boasts.

High above the grey Durness Limestone that can be seen at Skiag Bridge is a large formation of unique fractured and sheared white limestone. Immediately overlying this with sharp contact are mylonites, which are fine grained platy metamorphic rocks that are comprised mostly of mica and quartz.

These mylonites were created by the intense shearing of older metamorphic rocks that are known as the Moine Schists. These were originally siltstones and sandstones that were deposited far away to the east and south and they were metamorphosed into schists in the previous stages of development of the dramatic Caledonian mountain belt. Around 420 million years ago horizontal forces caused them to emerge many tens of kilometers over and up the Cambrian sedimentary rocks into their present position.

For anyone who has an interest in geology or natural history, a trip to the Moine Thrust is an important occasion. Many leading geologists from around the world have traveled to this area of Scotland to discover the rock formations here and learn about the way they have interacted over time to create the formations that we know today.

By studying the Moine Thrust, geologists have been able to learn a lot about the way in which the world has changed over the centuries and, in fact, this is one of the oldest untouched and most complete geological records in the world. People who are simply on vacation can also get a lot out of a trip here, especially those who have an interest in hiking, as there are lots of stunning hiking trails to follow here.