Local attractions declared among country’s top geological sites

Three sites in Shetland have been named among the country’s best geological locations.

The announcement comes after experts were tasked with drawing up “The 51 Best Places to see Scotland’s Geology” as part of a nationwide festival taking place this month to celebrate the country’s geological heritage.

Unst, Eshaness Coast, and St Ninian’s Isle tombolo made up the isles’ contribution to the list.

Unst is described as boasting “a fascinating combination of ancient continental and ocean floor crustal rocks”.

Eshaness Coast, meanwhile, was chosen because it offers “the best section through the flank of a volcano in the UK”.

And St Ninian’s Isle tombolo was picked because it is the largest active shell sand tombolo in the UK – which “tells the story of Shetland’s fate following the retreat of the last ice sheets”.

A map showing all 51 sites will be unveiled at Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh on Saturday 14th October.

The project has been organised by the Scottish Geodiversity Forum to tie in with this month’s Geoheritage Festival.