Geology                     

The north-west Highlands were awarded Geopark status in 2004, in recognition of the area's outstanding geology and landscape.

The metamorphic Lewisian gneiss rocks are three thousand million years old, among the oldest in the world, and once formed part of a mountain chain as high as the Himalayas.

Between Laxford Bridge and Rhiconich, the construction of the new road has revealed folded patterns in the Lewisian gneiss, showing how the horizontal layers have become twisted and broken through the intense pressure and movement of the earth's crust.

Knockan Crag (below), near Elphin, is an example of the effects of the Moine Thrust, a massive westward 'push' which resulted in older Moine rocks ending up on top of much younger Durness limestone.