Barron, H F, Gillespie, M R and Merritt, J W 2011. Geodiversity of the Cairngorms National Park. British Geological Survey Open Report, OR/10/019
A PDF of this report is available from the NORA, the NERC archive
Site no.: B25
Site name: Glen Ey Gorge
Grid reference:
Locality: Glen Ey, south-west of Braemar
GCR Status: Confirmed
GCR No.: 2814
Type: Natural section
Description: Good bedrock exposures along a narrow gorge, generally less than 10 m deep but with steep to vertical sides, that extends for around 2 km along the Ey Burn on either side of the feature known as The Colonel's Bed. The GCR volume 'Dalradian rocks of Scotland' (Stephenson et al., 2010) contains a full description of the site.
Justification: This gorge provides one of the best-exposed sections through the Boundary Slide, a zone of highly strained rocks, which separates the Grampian Group from other, more lithologically variable, parts of the Dalradian throughout much of the Grampian Highlands. The Glen Ey gorge section is particularly valuable because it provides a continuous section from the top of the Grampian Group into the base of the Appin Group, unlike some sections further south-west.