The Sandwick Fish Bed at Cruaday Quarry - exploring a lesser known site of interest in Quoyloo
On a sunny afternoon, my friend Kathleen and I decided to take a walk up to Cruaday quarry. Now disused, the quarry once provided flagstones for many Orcadian houses. The site is one of special scientific interest because of the fish fossils found there. The grey, calcareous siltstone was once the bed of a lake, 390 million years ago, when Orkney was located south of the equator. At times, central parts of the lake became starved of oxygen, and fish died in large numbers, being preserved as fossils in the rock. An information board at the site gives details. siltstone ...