‘Volcanoes and the Making of Scotland’ is presented as a journey back through geological time, focusing on instances in the geological record of Scotland where there is evidence of volcanism and magmatism. Chapters 1–4 provide context, giving an overview of the subjects of geology and igneous petrology, and Scottish geology in particular. The fifth and sixth chapters are detailed, focusing on the opening of the northeast Atlantic Ocean and the formation of the British Palaeogene Igneous Province at ~60 M.a. Close attention is paid to describing the fissure basalts and their feeder dykes, as well as the igneous centres and their myriad complex sub-volcanic intrusions. Chapters 7 and 8 document the remains of magmatic activity at the end and beginning of the Carboniferous Period, respectively. In Chapter 7, the importance of the ‘intra-plate’ tectonic setting is emphasized, and highlights include examples of magmatism that incorporated and transported fragments (xenoliths) of the mantle and deep crust, a topic in which the author is a reputed expert. Chapter 8 details the early Carboniferous lavas also considered to have formed in an intra-plate setting, as a consequence of regional extensional tectonics. Chapters 9 and 10 concern closure of an ancient ocean called Iapetus, the precursor to the present-day Atlantic. Chapter 9 describes the volcanoes of the Devonian ‘Old Red Sandstone’ continent, which persisted even after the closure of the Iapetus. Going further back in time, trace evidence remains of volcanoes active during the final stages of closure and ‘subduction’ of the oceanic plate underneath Laurentia. Due to the complex tectonics associated with subduction zones, some oceanic crust (ophiolite) was ‘obducted’ or thrust over the continental mass, leaving us with a record of the internal structure and composition of the Iapetus oceanic crust and upper mantle. A selection of Scottish ophiolites, including the Ballantrae Ophiolite (boasting some of the finest pillow basalts in the UK), are described. Chapter 10 descends, in the author's words, into the geological Dark Ages, where the remnants of volcanic activity in the geological record become sparse and difficult to interpret, due to structural deformation and metamorphism.
From the outset, this book has a richness of detail that is captivating. Brian Upton was my PhD examiner in 2006. Before my viva, another geologist of considerable experience and seniority told me that Brian's knowledge of the British Palaeogene Igneous Province and Scottish geology more generally is ‘encyclopaedic’. For me, this fact shines through in the book. But not only that; the book is written at a level that will make it accessible to readers without expertise in geology or igneous petrology. One of the major obstacles to geology as a subject for the initiate is the vast profusion of specialist terminology. Brian does a wonderful job in overcoming this, in part by devoting some of the early chapters to introducing subject-specific concepts and language, but also by virtue of the eloquent and charming way that he writes. I should note that the book is not completely focused on magmatic events. For each of the major geological periods he describes, Brian includes a synthesis of the likely ecology and palaeogeography at the time, lending real depth to the narrative. The book is beautifully, albeit simply, illustrated, with a combination of informative schematic diagrams and field photographs of features of interest. In places throughout the text, photographs of presently active volcanic systems are included, as an aid to the reader's imagination.
This book is testament to Brian's lifetime of working on the ancient volcanoes preserved in the Scottish geological record but, perhaps more importantly, to his passion for communicating his knowledge to both students of geology and to non-academic enthusiasts alike. I would highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in Scottish geology as an entertaining and informative read.
