Loch Avon
Geological Conservation Review site | GCR #708 | Mineralogy | Mineralogy of Scotland
Scotland's geosites are chosen because of their local, national or international importance. Take only photos, leave only footprints: avoid causing any damage to this site. You can walk almost anywhere in Scotland without the need to ask permission or keep to paths, but you have a responsibility to care for your own safety, to respect people's privacy and peace of mind and to cause no damage.
This site is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). It is an offence to intentionally or recklessly damage the protected natural features of a SSSI, and this includes unauthorised sample collection.
The right of access does not extend to quarries, building sites or any land where public access is prohibited, or to the collection of geological samples.
Summary
The cliffs on the east side of Loch Avon are known to yield blue masses of topaz associated with cairngorm (smoky quartz) in cavities in the Cairngorm Granite. The gravels of the River Avon contain rolled masses of blue topaz and rolled wine-yellow or brown cairngorms with the addition of green beryl in places. The blue topaz is not found elsewhere in Britain, all the Cornish topaz being of a yellowish colour, and there is an interesting suite of chrysoberyl and columbite - members of a rare suite of granite accessory minerals. Because of the considerable amount of rock exposure and scree in the area, no precise in situ locality can be given and it is possible that the minerals may have been derived from glacial drift. As Loch Avon would act as a sediment trap, however, the source of the minerals must be near its outlet and the site boundary has been drawn to include the most probable source of the detrital minerals of interest.
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