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Scottish Landform Example–41: The Geological Foundations and Landscape Evolution of Scotland

The exceptional diversity of Scotland’s landscapes and landforms reflects the combined influence of geological and geomorphological processes operating over different timescales, from millions to tens of years or less. However, with an emphasis on short-term process studies in geomorphology in the last few decades, the long-term perspective is often overlooked. Following the development of new dating methods and geophysical models, studies of landscape evolution have more recently undergone a revival (e.g. Summerfield, 1996, 2005; Sugden et al., 1997; Bishop, 2007; Japsen et al., 2009). This work has provided new insights into the links between geology, tectonics, surface processes, climate and landscape development, highlighting the value of a longer-term perspective and the antiquity of many features in the present landscape (cf. Godard, 1965; Hall, 1991, 1997; Hall & Bishop, 2002). This article outlines the geological framework that underpins the geomorphology of Scotland and the long-term processes and events that have shaped the present landscape. Geodiversity is the variety of rocks, minerals, fossils, landforms, sediments and soils, together with the natural processes which form and alter them. The geological development of Scotland has given rise to a remarkable geodiversity for a country of its size (e.g. Trewin, 2002; Gillen, 2003; McKirdy et al., 2007) and has played a fundamental part in shaping the landforms and landscape today. First, the broad geological and topographic framework of Scotland (Figure 1) is the result of several major global tectonic events, including the repeated formation and break-up of