Crawton Bay

Crawton is located just south of Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire. This secluded coastal bay preserves exposures of early Devonian, Lower Old Red Sandstone sedimentary and igneous rocks.

The exposures are best seen at low tide, and on this trip can be examined in around 2.5 hours. Some parts of the section require some scrambling down low cliff paths to access, although trips can be tailored to individual needs.

The Old Red Sandstone sedimentary rocks at Crawton consist of sandstones and conglomerates which were deposited by large river systems. 

These are interbedded with volcanic rocks, deposited by lava flows. The individual lava flows preserve large crystals, often comprising colourful cements.

Fault zones which offset the rock layers  can be seen in the section. The rocks are tilted towards the west after being folded post-deposition.