What is the Torridonian?
Q: What is the Torridonian?
A: The Torridonian is a sedimentary sandstone which sits on top of the earliest rocks in Scotland.
Q: What colour is the Torridonian sandstone on the map?
A: The Torridonian sandstone is shown as orange on the map.
Q: Where is the Torridonian located?
A: The Torridonian is on the western edge of the mainland of Scotland and on part of Skye. Geographically, this is part of the district of Wester Ross.
Q: What kind of rock is under the Torridonian sandstone?
A: All the rock under the Torridonian sandstone is igneous and metamorphosed igneous rock.
Q: How did the Torridonian sandstone form?
A: The Torridonian sandstones were red beds laid down by rivers and lakes in a landscape of low rocky hills. A great thickness of red sandstone, brought in by rivers, buried the old hills. This took place in the Proterozoic, 1,200 to 544 million years ago (mya).
Q: Are there different groups of sandstone within the Torridonian?
A: Yes, there are older and younger sandstone groups within the Torridonian, with a long period between them.
Q: Where can some parts of the Torridonian sandstone be found due to tectonic movement?
A: As a result of later periods of rifting and mountain-building, some of the Torridian sandstone lies under the sea, and some of it is uplifted into mountains.
