Geology of Durness

This photo shows a series of dolostone pavements (Sailmhor Fm of the Durness Group) around the Lerinbeg area, looking NW across Sango Bay towards Faraid Head. Pavements of the Sailmhor have a distinctive, small 'tower-like' appearance and differ from pavements formed within other formations within the carbonate succession.

Limestone pavements consist of horizontal surfaces of exposed limestone showing the effects of weathering. With natural rainwaters being mild carbonic acids, these waters are able to dissolve the limestones that are made of calcium carbonate in the same way that much of Smoo Cave has been formed. Since weathering action is always more pronounced along cracks and crevices, it appears to break up the surface into segments which, if they are roughly rectangular, can give the appearance of an artificial pavement. They were formed during the ice age when the ice scraped away the top soil, leaving behind a bare, rocky surface. This left the limestone exposed to the elements and it was weathered away by the processes of frost shattering and dissolution.