Strontian
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Strontian Scottish Gaelic Sròn an t-Sìthein |
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| Coordinates | 56 ° 42 ′ N , 5 ° 34 ′ W | ||
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| administration | |||
| Post town | ACHARACLE | ||
| ZIP code section | PH36 | ||
| prefix | 01967 | ||
| Part of the country | Scotland | ||
| Council area | Highland | ||
| British Parliament | Ross, Skye and Lochaber | ||
| Scottish Parliament | Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch | ||
Strontian ( Scottish Gaelic Sròn an t-Sìthein , "tip of the fairy hill ") is a small town on Loch Sunart (a sea fjord) in the western highlands of Scotland . The place is near the exit of the Great Glen and the mouth of Loch Sunart is opposite the Isle of Mull . The next major city is Fort William . The river of the same name flows into Loch Sunart near the village.
history
Strontian since 1722 or 1724 mining town , was established for the miners. Until 1902 the ore galena was mined in the area around Strontian and silver , lead and zinc were extracted from it. The peak of mining activity was around 1730. At that time, 600 people were working in the surrounding mines. Barite has been mined in the area since the 1980s and is used , for example, in the oil industry to back up wells.
From 1820 Strontian was on the road laid by Thomas Telford between Corran and Acharacle . The place was also regularly called by ships en route to Tobermory on Mull.
In 1843 a landowner refused permission to build a Presbyterian church on his land . The community then bought a ship, converted it into a church and moored it on Loch Stuart. This floating church became known beyond the town's borders and was in use until the 1870s.
Today the place still lives from mining, but is primarily a school and shopping location for the surrounding hamlets and farms. The tourism is becoming increasingly important in the local economy. There is a hotel , bed and breakfasts and campsites on site . Overall, the area is not yet very touristy.
strontium
Strontian is the namesake for the chemical element strontium . In 1790, the Scottish scholar Adair Crawford discovered the mineral strontianite (SrCO 3 with inclusions of BaCO 3 ) as the first mineral to be discovered for the first time in Scotland. Crawford realized that a hitherto unknown element might be present in the mineral, but it was not until 1807 or 1808 that Humphry Davy first made it from strontianite.
The site of the Strontianites is on the slopes of the 847 meter high mountain Beinn Resipol a few kilometers from the village . The place Scotstown is closer to the reference as Strontian. The predominant rock type there is the Strontian Granite, which is younger than the surrounding Grampian Mountains .
Strontian is also the location of the mineral brewsterite, which also contains strontium .
