The Edinburgh Geologist
Issue no 41

Geological Tables
a tour of tabular landscape features

compiled from contributions by Joachim Rohn, David Stephenson, David Reid & Peter Whitehead

The Geo-vineyards contribution has prompted me to commission a number of articles on geological 'tables'.

The Devil's Rock of the label is actually Teufelstisch, which translates as Devil's Table, a geological  feature in the region of Pfälzerwald in southwestern Germany. Joachim Rohn of the Department of Applied Geology of Karlsruhe University has written about it and sent some beautiful photographs.

Before going worldwide, we take a look at Scotland, where we have our own Macleod's Tables on Skye. David Stephenson of the British Geological Survey has kindly put together an article on these well-known features of the landscape.

Perhaps the best-known Table feature in the world's landscape is Table Mountain in South Africa. On browsing the Internet, I came across an excellent web site and tracked down the author as Professor David Reid of the Department of Geological Sciences in the University of Cape Town. He has given permission for the site to be used as the basis for a contribution and here it is.

Staying in the southern hemisphere, Australia boasts the Atherton Tablelands in Queenstown. Peter Whitehead of James Cook University has kindly contributed an article, together with a couple of excellent photographs which are reproduced here.

Moving east again, I would have liked to be able to stop off at the Lost World, H.G. Wells's fantastical table-island of dinosaurs and ape men, but this is a purely factual trip, so we end up on the western coast of the United States. Here, in Oregon,  there are the Table Rocks.This contribution has been put together using information on two web sites: www.sou.edu/geology and www.or.blm.gov/medford, to which the reader is directed for further information.

My thanks to all contributors. I hope that you enjoy reading this tabular compendium.

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