Glenfinnan Nappe at the Prince's Cairn

Large, km-scale, recumbent (on their sides) folds called Nappes are an important part of crustal thickening during mountain building events (orogenies). The Glenfinnan Nappe is very well developed with exposures at various depths across the structure along the A380 Road to the Isles. Here between the Princes Cairn and Princes Stone we are in the core of the structure, probably around 30 km depth, and the cliff-scale folds show features which allow us to work out the approximate P-T conditions and orientations (kinematics) of deformation (kinematics). This kind of information is how we work out plate tectonic movements in the deep past, such as the Caledonian Orogeny 450 million years ago.

See also:
One Minute Plus: Nappes    • One Minute Plus: Nappes  
History of the Moine Thrust in 2 square metres of folded rock at Glencoe Lochain    • History of the Moine Thrust in 2 squa...  
The Moine of Ardnish and Glenfinnan    • The Moine of Ardnish and Glenfinnan