The Machair - Geomorphology

CONTENTS | RESOURCE DESCRIPTION | LAND USE | CONFLICTS AND SOLUTIONS

The James Hutton Institute

This page is no longer updated. The Macaulay Land Use Research Institute joined forces with SCRI on 1 April 2011 to create The James Hutton Institute.

Please visit the James Hutton Institute website.

GEOMORPHOLOGY

RESOURCE DESCRIPTION > PHYSICAL LANDSCAPE

The shape of the land is controlled by the underlying rocks and has been greatly influenced by glaciation.

The Atlantic Ocean causes erosion and deposition of the coastline.

The dunes of the machair require a constant supply of sand and are colonised and stabilised by many species of plants.

Related topics: Underlying rocks | Glaciation | Coastal processes | Dune development