Rock - hard but vulnerable

Rocks may be lost through removal, for example though anything from large scale quarrying to small scale excavation or collecting. Rocks outcrops may also become obscured, for example through burial or under a cover of vegetation. Such outcrop is also effectively lost unless measures to clear it are relatively trivial.

Many of our most vulnerable rock exposures are within disused quarries. The after use of disused quarries can lead to the loss of rock exposure valuable for research and education. The disposal of waste is a common and damaging after use. However, more often than not, a compromise can be reached, whereby an old quarry can be partially infilled, allowing the retention of a particularly important rock face. Left unburied, old quarry faces can remain a valuable resource for scientists and students to study.

Vegetation growth obscuring rock exposures can also be an issue in a wide variety of settings including disused quarries, rail and road cuttings and natural rock exposures such as river cliffs. Rocks, in both lowland and upland areas, can be obscured by dense conifer plantations and other land uses which make study of important rock exposures difficult. Such developments can also have an impact upon soils and landforms.

Forethought, consultation and careful planning can help avoid such problems. Scottish Natural Heritage can provide advice on all aspects of conservation of Scotlands geological heritage. We can be contacted through our Area Offices or our Earth Science Group.