The Highlands Controversy - revisited: geo-interpretation lessons from history

Part of The Shear Zone Channel. Join Rob as he visits key locations, guided by the writings and illustrations of the key players in one of the great arguments in early geology. Together we can see how fieldwork in NW Scotland in the 1850s and 60s created confusion about the geological structure, eventually resolved with the recognition of the Moine Thrust. But this is a prequel - contrasting the interpretations of Murchison with his team-mate Archibald Geikie as they argued with James Nicol... And how these arguments, assumptions and approaches taken by the protagonists offer warnings to those creating geological interpretations - even today....