Kilmarnock - Sheet Explanation for sheet S22E
Price £9.00(no VAT)
Sheet Explanations provide a brief description and interpretation of the geology of the relevant BGS 1:50 000 scale map sheet area. More detailed geological information for the same area is available via the Sheet Descriptions.
Sheet Explanations are printed A5 booklets and are available either singly, or as a pack together with the relevant 1:50 000 scale map, where this map is available.
The Kilmarnock district lies towards the southwestern end of the Midland Valley, and incorporates parts of Ayrshire, Renfrewshire and Lanarkshire. The rocks record over 400 million years of geological history, ranging from the Silurian through to the most recent man-made deposits.
The oldest rocks are of continental fluvial origin and were subsequently intruded by granodiorite and diorites of the Distinkhorn Complex in the early Devonian. Regional uplift and erosion followed, and in Carboniferous times deposition of the coal-bearing sequence occurred in hot tropical conditions. The cyclical nature of the Carboniferous sedimentary successions reflects the dynamic interaction of eustasy and tectonism in a fluviodeltaic environment. Regional volcanism occurred on two occasions, and the volcanoes are preserved as thick basaltic lavas. Active faulting throughout the Carboniferous affected the distribution and thickness of the sedimentary strata. During Permo-Triassic times an arid continental environment was established; aeolian sandstones accumulated in the Mauchine Basin and alkali basalt lavas are also preserved. The final moulding of the district occurred during the Quaternary and, although there were several glaciations, only those deposits associated with the last Main Late Devensian Glaciation are preserved.
Author McPherson, K.
ISBN 0852723873
Sheet(s) Covered S022E
Year Published 2002
