The Geology of Scotland

2024 saw the reappearance of The Geology of Scotland. Now in fifth edition, it is sixty years since Gordon Craig marshalled the first. This original, and subsequent versions, have served as fundamental references for Scottish geology. But the current edition, edited by Smith and Strachan, is a step up in quality and coverage and a significant update from the fourth (published 2002). The editors are to be congratulated in keeping the forty-nine other authors in line! Each chapter has its own list of cited references; while this leads to some duplication, the chapters are now essentially self-contained review papers. Full colour is used throughout, with illustrations from source publications redrafted to retain an attractive house style.
The narrative steps up through geological time, from the Archaean-Paleoproterozoic of the Lewisian basement, up to Quaternary glaciation and geomorphology. This is all pretty conventional, though the links between onshore outcrop and the offshore subsurface record are especially welcome. There are timely chapters on geoheritage, geotourism, resources, and engineering geology, especially the challenges and opportunities in repurposing Scotland’s industrial heritage for a lower carbon economy and energy mix. At times, this is an exceptionally dense read to undertake, especially for newcomers to geology. Chapters are concluded by summaries and have succinct topic boxes that explore key aspects, though even many of these are not for the faint-hearted.
However, there are curious omissions. More could be made of how Scotland’s geological record informs global understanding of Earth processes. The present-day crustal structure is largely ignored, and geophysics, as a source of this knowledge, is given cursory treatment. While there are regional cross-sections, they are truncated at 15 km depth and use 2x vertical exaggeration, as adopted routinely by the British Geological Survey, giving a misleading impression of tectonic structure both in mountain belts and sedimentary basins. Likewise, in the “milestones in the history of Scottish geology” section, discussions are all based on the nineteenth century. There’s little mention, for example, of the deep seismic campaigns in the 1980s that changed global understanding of sedimentary basin formation, and they’re missing even from coverage of the Mesozoic of the North Sea.
Nevertheless, Geology of Scotland is excellent for outcrop-scale geology. It is a book for geologists by geologists. As a reference and entry point for the richness of published literature, it is essential for libraries and Scottish geology enthusiasts.
Reviewed by Rob Butler
Details
BY: M. Smith & R. Strachan (eds., 5th edition) (2024). Geological Society of London. 654 pp. (pbk)
ISBN: 9781786206138
PRICE: £90 (£45 for Fellows; £54 for other Societies) www.geolsoc.org.uk