Buchan Ridge flint mines
The Buchan Ridge flint mines are several flint mines in Scotland . They date from the 3rd millennium BC. And are about three miles southwest of Peterhead on the east coast of Scotland in Aberdeenshire .
The flint gravel in the Buchan area was first described by G. Christie (1831). Further detailed studies of petrology and sedimentology led to the interpretation of the gravels as pre-glacial beach deposits, possibly from the Pliocene . In the Buchan Ridge , the remains of this fossil beach were discovered and exploited by early farmers. They dug holes through the facings to reach the flint deposits. The most important deposit is on Stirling Hill and in the Den of Boddam .
Traces of flint mines are rare in the British Isles . The Buchan Ridge Formation is a unique deposit in Scotland. Typically, in Scotland, flint was only found on beaches.
Flint was an important material used in equipment and tools in prehistory. The questions about the age, origin and origin of these gravels are still unanswered. Red flint from these mines was found at Capo Long Barrow .
literature
- AMD Gemmell and RH Kesel: The Pliocene gravels of Buchan: a reappraisal reply. Scottish Journal of Geology 18 (1982), pp. 333-335
- A. Saville: Prehistoric quarrying of a secondary flint source: evidence from North-East Scotland. In: P. Topping and M. Lynott (Eds.): The cultural landscape of prehistoric mines. Oxford 2005.
Web links
- Entry on Buchan Ridge flint mines in Canmore, Historic Environment Scotland database
- Aberdeenshire council: Flint Mines (English)
Coordinates: 57 ° 27 '45.7 " N , 1 ° 48' 3.9" W.