Slate, Sea & Skimming: A Geology Tour of Easdale with @ScottishGeologist — Stone Skimming Championships Special
Join @ScottishGeologist for a unique geology adventure on Easdale Island — timed to coincide with the annual Stone Skimming Championships! This special tour blends hands-on geological exploration with the fun of one of Scotland’s most iconic community events. As the skimmers compete for the perfect ripple, you’ll uncover the ancient forces that shaped Easdale and the Mid-Argyll Slate Belt that made it world-famous.
What to Expect
🪨 Uncover the Story of Easdale Slate
Explore the Easdale Slate Formation, part of the Dalradian Supergroup — metamorphosed over 500 million years ago.
Learn how ancient muds and silts were buried, compressed, and metamorphosed into fine-grained slate, ideal for splitting into thin sheets.
See classic cleavage planes that gave Easdale slate its exceptional working properties and powered a global slate industry.
📜 Industrial Geology & Quarry History
Visit old quarry sites and flooded pits, now tranquil lochs dotted across the island.
Hear how Easdale was once the heart of the Scottish slate trade, with thousands of tons quarried and exported worldwide.
Explore how quarrying shaped not just the geology, but the history and communities of Easdale and neighbouring islands.
🌊 Coastal Geology & Sea Level Change
Walk the coastal paths to see rock exposures and sea cliffs where Easdale’s slates meet the ocean.
Discuss how Post-Glacial uplift, isostatic rebound, and relative sea-level change influenced the modern shoreline.
Spot features like raised beaches, wave-cut platforms, and erratic boulders transported by ice or floods.
🧠 Stone Skimming Meets Stone Science
While skimmers compete for the flattest, roundest, fastest stone, you’ll learn what makes a good skimming stone geologically:
Shape and flatness from bedding and cleavage planes
Density and hardness from slate mineralogy
Surface texture that supports multiple skips
Test out your geological insights by selecting your own “skimming slate” from permitted pebble areas.
🦴 Hands-On Geological Investigations
Examine slate samples for fossil traces, cleavage angles, and microstructures under hand lenses.
Try simple field measurements of bedding vs cleavage orientation — discovering the geometry that gave Easdale slate its remarkable split.
Sketch geological sections and learn how geologists reconstruct rock histories in the field.
Who Should Attend?
This tour is perfect for:
Rock lovers, geology beginners, and families
Participants in or spectators of the Stone Skimming Championships
Anyone curious about how everyday rocks become geological treasures
No prior geological knowledge is needed — just bring comfortable walking shoes, weather-appropriate clothing, and a sense of advent
Event Details
📍 Location: Easdale Island, Argyll & Bute - please note you will need to get a ferry and separate ticket for the stone skimming championships.
🗓️ Date: Saturday 5th September 2026
⏰ Time: 11:00-12:30 or 14:00-15:30
🎟️ Duration: up to 1.5 hours
🎟️ Price: £25.00
🥾 Terrain: Coastal paths, quarries, and shore platforms — tide-dependent in some locations
Slate, Sea & Skimming: A Geology Tour of Easdale with @ScottishGeologist — Stone Skimming Championships Special
Join @ScottishGeologist for a unique geology adventure on Easdale Island — timed to coincide with the annual Stone Skimming Championships! This special tour blends hands-on geological exploration with the fun of one of Scotland’s most iconic community events. As the skimmers compete for the perfect ripple, you’ll uncover the ancient forces that shaped Easdale and the Mid-Argyll Slate Belt that made it world-famous.
What to Expect
🪨 Uncover the Story of Easdale Slate
Explore the Easdale Slate Formation, part of the Dalradian Supergroup — metamorphosed over 500 million years ago.
Learn how ancient muds and silts were buried, compressed, and metamorphosed into fine-grained slate, ideal for splitting into thin sheets.
See classic cleavage planes that gave Easdale slate its exceptional working properties and powered a global slate industry.
📜 Industrial Geology & Quarry History
Visit old quarry sites and flooded pits, now tranquil lochs dotted across the island.
Hear how Easdale was once the heart of the Scottish slate trade, with thousands of tons quarried and exported worldwide.
Explore how quarrying shaped not just the geology, but the history and communities of Easdale and neighbouring islands.
🌊 Coastal Geology & Sea Level Change
Walk the coastal paths to see rock exposures and sea cliffs where Easdale’s slates meet the ocean.
Discuss how Post-Glacial uplift, isostatic rebound, and relative sea-level change influenced the modern shoreline.
Spot features like raised beaches, wave-cut platforms, and erratic boulders transported by ice or floods.
🧠 Stone Skimming Meets Stone Science
While skimmers compete for the flattest, roundest, fastest stone, you’ll learn what makes a good skimming stone geologically:
Shape and flatness from bedding and cleavage planes
Density and hardness from slate mineralogy
Surface texture that supports multiple skips
Test out your geological insights by selecting your own “skimming slate” from permitted pebble areas.
🦴 Hands-On Geological Investigations
Examine slate samples for fossil traces, cleavage angles, and microstructures under hand lenses.
Try simple field measurements of bedding vs cleavage orientation — discovering the geometry that gave Easdale slate its remarkable split.
Sketch geological sections and learn how geologists reconstruct rock histories in the field.
Who Should Attend?
This tour is perfect for:
Rock lovers, geology beginners, and families
Participants in or spectators of the Stone Skimming Championships
Anyone curious about how everyday rocks become geological treasures
No prior geological knowledge is needed — just bring comfortable walking shoes, weather-appropriate clothing, and a sense of advent
Event Details
📍 Location: Easdale Island, Argyll & Bute - please note you will need to get a ferry and separate ticket for the stone skimming championships.
🗓️ Date: Saturday 5th September 2026
⏰ Time: 11:00-12:30 or 14:00-15:30
🎟️ Duration: up to 1.5 hours
🎟️ Price: £25.00
🥾 Terrain: Coastal paths, quarries, and shore platforms — tide-dependent in some locations
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