The Geology of Burntisland

The Hills of Burntisland

At a mere 632 feet (174m), it can hardly claim to be amongst Scotland's giant hills, yet the Binn (Hill), visible from almost every point in Burntisland domi­nates the town. The steep slope of the Binn is made up of basalt and in places this rock formed columnar jointing as it cooled.

Below the Binn the first of many east-west running ridges encountered stretches from the site of the Greenmount Hotel, along Black Jock's Hill, facing the Toll Park and continues along the back of the- Aberdour Road.

Much of the landscape of the Burntisland area — certainly the hilly parts — owes its shape to the vol­canic activity which originated in the volcanic neck represented by the Binn. In terms of age, we are looking back at events that occurred some 300 mil­lion years or so ago during the Carboniferous Period.

The Lammerlaws

Another exposure of dolerite is the Lammerlaws Prom­ontory which has an eastern extension in Burntisland Bay represented by the Black Rocks outcrop. At the Lammerlaws the dolerite is badly weathered, displaying a typical reddish-brown colour as the iron oxide in the rock is exposed to water and a It appears that the area of dolerite at the Lammerlaws was once far more extensive than it is today. Histori­ans tell us that in the late 19th century the Lammer­laws area was used as a source material for the huge blocks of dolerite which make up the breakwater between the Lammerlaws and the dock entrance. Close examination of the faces of some of these dol­erite blocks shows the presence of tiny holes, resem­bling a slab of gruyere cheese. These holes, termed vesicles, are caused by escaping gas bubbles and tell us that the vesicular lavas were formed at, or close to, the surface, since the gas would not have been able to escape had it been trapped by overlying rocks. 

Outcrops of sandstone in the Burntisland area are rare. In most areas buildings or farmland obscure the nature of the underlying rock. This does not mean that sand­stone cannot be seen in Burntisland. On the contrary, a simple examination of many of the burgh's older buildings reveals sandstone as the main building mater­ial. Most of Burntisland's best known buildings were built of grey sandstone: the Public Library, the Erskine U.F. Church, the former Primary School in Ferguson Place (closed 2014) and many residential buildings.

In Burntisland proper there are several ridges of high­er ground, all composed of either basalt or dolerite and these represent either lava flows or igneous intru­sions such as sills.

Burntisland is a remarkably hilly town. Anyone who has toiled up Broomhill or Craigkennochie cannot be unaware of the steep ridges they occupy. Less obvious, but of the same volcanic origin, are the uphill routes to the railway station from the High Street via the Kirkgate, or the double climb from the High Street to the Toll Park via Cromwell Road.

The Links

. Not all the igneous out­crops in the town are large, as witness the small hill on the Links, inaptly named the Big Knowe. Some 50 yards to the west of the Big Knowe there is a small exposure of the hard rock (cover photo) which is the basis of the hill. The houses perched on the igneous outcrop overlooking the old railway marshalling yards behind the breakwater look to the old Parish Church sitting on the bluff by the sill. This steep-sided outcrop then continues westwards to Rossend Castle.