The Ballantrae Serpentine, Ayrshire

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Balsdllie's evidence that the Ballantrae spilites have resulted from alteration of normal labradorite-basalts is accepted. An anticline is demonstrated at Bennane Head. The Ballantrae serpentine is interpreted as a folded sheet intervening between a lower and an upper group of spilitic volcanics. Blocks of carbonated serpentine have been found in agglomerate near the top of the apparently underlying spilitic group at Bennane Head, and small fragments of glaucophane-schist near the base of the apparently overlying spilitic group at Pinbain. This last is in keeping with Balsillie's discovery that characteristic metamorphic rocks, associated with the serpentine in its Colmonell outcrop, appear in agglomerate which seems to be near the base of the overlying spilitic group at South Ballaird. It is suggested that the serpentine sheet was emplaced as a deep-water submarine lava before these overlying agglomerates formed. Metamorphic problems remain controversial, but they leave the door open for the submarine lava hypothesis. A mistake at Pinbain has been corrected, where it is shown that later spilite has been serpentised or chloritised by earlier peridotite.

This publication has 8 references indexed in Scilit: