Potential for renewed quarrying of West Highland Slate : a preliminary assessment of the island of Luing and the Ballachulish district

quarrying of West Highland Slate on the island of Luing and in the Ballachulish district. The assessment is based upon a brief field visit to each area, and a desktop review of published materials. The project was commissioned by Historic Environment Scotland (HES), with Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) as a funding partner, and is part of ongoing efforts by both organisations to assess the feasibility of renewed quarrying of building stone resources in Scotland. One section of this report provides some geological background to slate-rock, including an overview of the geological factors that can reduce the amount or quality of recoverable rock. Descriptions of the historical quarries and the geological setting and character of slate-rock in each area are presented in subsequent sections. The key conclusion is that substantial resources of good-quality slate-rock almost certainly remain in both areas and, from a geological point of view, it certainly should be possible to renew quarrying in either area in disused or new quarries. However, the geology of the Ballachulish district is more challenging, and a significantly more detailed field-based assessment than has been possible here would be needed to identify the most promising localities there. Furthermore, all of the most prospective areas for slate-rock in the Ballachulish district lie within remote, topographically challenging ground with currently limited (or no) vehicle access. For these reasons, if investigations continue it would seem sensible to focus initially on existing workings in the Cullipool district of Luing, where topography and access are relatively favourable, and the geological framework is reasonably well understood and apparently relatively straightforward.