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An Sgurr (Eigg)
Encyclopedia
An Sgurr is the highest hill on the Inner Hebridean
island of Eigg
, Lochaber
, Highland
, Scotland
. It was formed around 58 million years ago; the result of one of the last eruptions of a volcano, the core of which now forms the Isle of Rùm
. Thick viscous pitchstone
lava
flowed out, filling a river valley. The lava cooled and formed column-like structures, similar to those at Giant's Causeway
.
The surrounding basalt
was softer than the pitchstone, and hence the valley became inverted, with the pitchstone withstanding the erosion far better than the surrounding rock. An Sgurr is thus an Inselberg. The mountain appears most strikingly in the view of the eastern end, known as the Nose of Sgurr.
The peak is most frequently climbed from the ferry terminal at Galmisdale
on the southeast corner of Eigg. A rough track heads west, passing between the northern side of An Sgurr and the shoreline. About three-quarters of the way along the ridge there is a gully
; a fairly easy scramble
allows access to the summit ridge. The route now almost doubles back on itself, heading east to reach the summit, which is crowned by a trig point
.
Inner Hebrides
The Inner Hebrides is an archipelago off the west coast of Scotland, to the south east of the Outer Hebrides. Together these two island chains form the Hebrides, which enjoy a mild oceanic climate. There are 36 inhabited islands and a further 43 uninhabited Inner Hebrides with an area greater than...
island of Eigg
Eigg
Eigg is one of the Small Isles, in the Scottish Inner Hebrides. It lies to the south of the Skye and to the north of the Ardnamurchan peninsula. Eigg is long from north to south, and east to west. With an area of , it is the second largest of the Small Isles after Rùm.-Geography:The main...
, Lochaber
Lochaber
District of Lochaber 1975 to 1996Highland council area shown as one of the council areas of ScotlandLochaber is one of the 16 ward management areas of the Highland Council of Scotland and one of eight former local government districts of the two-tier Highland region...
, Highland
Highland (council area)
Highland is a council area in the Scottish Highlands and is the largest local government area in both Scotland and the United Kingdom as a whole. It shares borders with the council areas of Moray, Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross, and Argyll and Bute. Their councils, and those of Angus and...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It was formed around 58 million years ago; the result of one of the last eruptions of a volcano, the core of which now forms the Isle of Rùm
Rùm
Rùm , a Scottish Gaelic name often anglicised to Rum) is one of the Small Isles of the Inner Hebrides, in the district of Lochaber, Scotland...
. Thick viscous pitchstone
Pitchstone
Pitchstone is a dull black glassy volcanic rock formed when viscous lava or magma cools swiftly. It is similar to but coarser than obsidian. It is a volcanic glass with a conchoidal fracture , a resinous lustre, and a variable composition. Its colour may be mottled, streaked, or uniform brown,...
lava
Lava
Lava refers both to molten rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption and the resulting rock after solidification and cooling. This molten rock is formed in the interior of some planets, including Earth, and some of their satellites. When first erupted from a volcanic vent, lava is a liquid at...
flowed out, filling a river valley. The lava cooled and formed column-like structures, similar to those at Giant's Causeway
Giant's Causeway
The Giant's Causeway is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption. It is located in County Antrim on the northeast coast of Northern Ireland, about three miles northeast of the town of Bushmills...
.
The surrounding basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
was softer than the pitchstone, and hence the valley became inverted, with the pitchstone withstanding the erosion far better than the surrounding rock. An Sgurr is thus an Inselberg. The mountain appears most strikingly in the view of the eastern end, known as the Nose of Sgurr.
The peak is most frequently climbed from the ferry terminal at Galmisdale
Galmisdale
Galmisdale is the main port of the island of Eigg, one of the Small Isles of the Inner Hebrides. It is in the Scottish council area of Highland....
on the southeast corner of Eigg. A rough track heads west, passing between the northern side of An Sgurr and the shoreline. About three-quarters of the way along the ridge there is a gully
Gully
A gully is a landform created by running water, eroding sharply into soil, typically on a hillside. Gullies resemble large ditches or small valleys, but are metres to tens of metres in depth and width...
; a fairly easy scramble
Scrambling
Scrambling is a method of ascending rocky faces and ridges. It is an ambiguous term that lies somewhere between hillwalking and rock climbing. It is often distinguished from hillwalking by defining a scramble as a route where hands must be used in the ascent...
allows access to the summit ridge. The route now almost doubles back on itself, heading east to reach the summit, which is crowned by a trig point
Trig point
A triangulation station, also known as a triangulation pillar, trigonometrical station, trigonometrical point, trig station, trig beacon or trig point, and sometimes informally as a trig, is a fixed surveying station, used in geodetic surveying and other surveying projects in its vicinity...
.
External links
- Geology of Eigg
- Computer-generated virtual panoramas North South Index
