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The Second or "New" Statistical Account - 1834 to 1845
Parish of Tongue, County of Sutherland
Presbytery of Tongue, Synod of Sutherland and Caithness
The Rev. Hugh Mackay Mackenzie, Minister
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I - Topography and natural History
Geology:
The principal rock in the parish is gneiss. It constitutes the mountain-range of Ben Hutig and the Moin, likewise the smaller range of Castle Varrich, and prevails throughout the whole extent of the eastern division of the parish. Its mineral character seems to be the common ternary compound of quartz, felspar, and mica; though not unfrequently hornblende is substituted for the latter. The aspect of this rock varies much from the component minerals, and, from the size of these minerals, as distinct concretions. It is regularly stratified, though in some places, as towards the east, this is not so evident, from the strata being intersected by quartz and granite veins, and disturbed and contorted by what appears, in some cases, the actions of fire, and in others, the action of water. The direction of the strata on the west of Tongue Bay is south-east, at an angle of 2O°. On the east of the Bay their direction is west-south-west, at an angle of 40º, with the exception of a small district at Sculomy, where the direction is south-south-east, and the angle 60°. In various places garnet is found imbedded in this rock.
Ben Hope is composed of mica-slate, being part of a very extensive district where this rock is developed. A stripe of the same formation is also found at the shore side, on the west side of the bay, stretching from a point opposite the village of Tongue to a place called Portvasgo, near the Rabbit Islands. It connects with, and conforms to, the gneiss of the mountain range above it, - the strata being in the same direction and at the same angle. The rocks of Eilean na roan are a fine specimen of the conglomerate, which rests upon red sandstone. The sandstone is only to be seen in the north side of the island, stratified in the direction west-south-west, at an angle of 10°; at which point the junction of the two formations is very distinct and beautiful. The mountain-range, stretching along the east side of, the Kyle from Coldbacky to Cnoc-Craggy, consists of conglomerate capping the gneiss, and resting horizontally on its fractured beds. The junction in this case is quite visible in some exposed rocks at Coldbacky. Red sandstone has also been discovered at one point in this mountain-range, near Dalcharn.
The whole mountain of Ben Laoghal is sienite, "which consists of a light flesh-red felspar, grey quartz, and black or dark-green hornblende, with minute and sparingly disseminated crystals of brown sphene. In several places the quartz almost disappears, - the rock then becoming a binary compound of felspar and hornblende. The structure of this sienite on the small scale is small granular, while on the large it is disposed in a most distinctly tabular manner. Indeed, few localities can be pointed out in Scotland where this beautiful rock arrangement is more characteristically developed. From various parts of its summit the entire structure may be traced with the utmost precision, and the several tabular concretions followed, with little variation, throughout its whole extent. The lateral planes of the tabular concretions are in general nearly parallel, and exhibit an almost polished surface. This mountain might, if other circumstances rendered it expedient, be wrought extensively for building materials. Such would be attended with but little difficulty as far as the raising of the stone is concerned, while the tabular form is so regular, that, for many purposes, very little dressing would be requisite." **
Black manganese ore has been found on the top of Ben Laoghal. Bog-iron ore is very common. Granite boulders are frequent about Tongue village. Whence they have come, is a problem not easy to solve. The principal alluvium is peat, which covers a great proportion of the parish: a quantity of fir-wood is found imbedded in it. The soil, which is, or has been, under cultivation, is in some places a black rich loam; in others a sandy loam; but, perhaps, the most common is a soil compounded of gravel and peat, with an admixture either of clay or sand.
** Cunningham's Geognosy of Sutherland - a work to which the writer is much indebted in drawing up this article
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