Crag and tail
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A crag (sometimes spelled cragg, or in Scotland craig) is a rocky hill or mountain, generally isolated from other high ground.
Origin
Crags are formed when a
volcanic structure). The force of the glacier erodes the surrounding softer material, leaving the rocky block protruding from the surrounding terrain. Frequently the crag serves as a partial shelter to softer material in the wake of the glacier, which remains as a gradual fan or ridge forming a tapered ramp (called the tail) up the leeward side of the crag.[1]
In older examples, or those latterly surrounded by the sea, the tail is often missing, having been removed by post-glacial erosion.
Examples
Examples of crag and tail formations include:
- Castle Rock (the crag, site of Edinburgh Castle) and the Royal Mile (the tail), in Edinburgh, Scotland
- Salisbury Crags and Arthur's Seat, in Edinburgh
- North Berwick Law, in North Berwick, Scotland
- Three in or near Stirling, Scotland, including the rock on which Stirling Castle stands
- "Scrabo Hill" in Newtownards, Northern Ireland, site of the Scrabo Tower
- Ailsa Craig, famous for curling stone mining
- Crag and tail features have been identified on the Amundsen Sea continental shelf off West Antarctica.[2]
See also
References
- ^ Chamber's Encyclopædia: A Dictionary of Universal Knowledge. Vol. 3. W.R.Chambers. 1897. p. 541. Retrieved 2019-11-03.
- S2CID 133161379.
- ISBN 0-471-07251-6