Hutton’s Unconformity
at Siccar Point
The Birthplace of Modern Geology
The Birthplace of Modern Geology
James Hutton, father of modern geology, visited Siccar Point by boat in 1788, an event which led to a profound change in the way the history of the Earth was understood. A man ahead of his time, James Hutton used the evidence from Siccar Point to decode Earth processes and to argue for a much greater length of geological time than was popularly accepted. As John Playfair later recorded of their visit “The mind seemed to grow giddy by looking so far into the abyss of time”. A concept of ‘deep time’ emerged with the recognition that the geological processes occurring around us today have operated over a long period and will continue to do so into the future.
You can visit Siccar Point today, and see the spectacular junction between two distinctive types of rock, just as Hutton himself found it.
Read the information below, watch the videos, download the leaflet… then make plans to see Siccar Point and Hutton’s Unconformity with your own eyes – and to take a peek into the abyss of time. You’ll find the experience unforgettable.
Access note: the path to Siccar Point takes you through a field which often has cows in it. The cows are generally placid and well behaved. Follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code: be aware of the animals, keep a safe distance and consider using an alternative route (the ground on the seaward side of the fence is rough, but passable with care). The most important advice is not to take dogs into fields where there are young animals present.
The two sets of rocks at Siccar Point are separated by an unconformity: an ancient land surface representing a time gap in the normal geological sequence. The Siccar Point unconformity is clearly visible as an etched junction with the dark grey vertical rocks underneath and the much younger, almost horizontal red rocks on the top.
The underlying, steeply tilted rocks were formed in an ancient ocean, but the much younger red rocks formed on land – and they were separated by a gap of 65 million years, during which time the older rocks were changed by folding, faulting, uplift and erosion.
Mouseover the image below and click on the arrows at the right or left to move the slideshow forward or back.
No vestige of a beginning
No prospect of an end