Samson's Stone can be spotted from the Comrie road on the north facing slopes of Creag na Gaoith, west of Crieff. It sits just below the treeline at the top of the grassy field. Many local tales and folklore tell of how this boulder got here and the mysteries surrounding it.
This single glacial erratic boulder from the last ice age sits above the flood plain of the River Earn in a field on the north edge of Creag na Gaoith, west of Crieff. A subsidiary hill is clearly identified from miles around by the vertical monument of Sir David Baird on its summit.
A footpath leads around the contours of this hill.
This area is called Highland Strathearn which was created and formed during the ice age. At this time the Ice Age the ice was about 10000 feet thick and as it receded it left a lot of glacial features that shaped Strathearn as you see it today. One particular glacial feature would be erratic boulders.
An erratic boulder is a rock that was transported some distance along by a glacier as the ice flows along. As this and many other pieces of rough rock are broken away by the action of the ice they become eroded - ground together rounding and smoothing their surface and leaving scrape lines as they travel along with the glacier. Lots of other debris including smaller stones are also transported and jolted along, all contributing to the 'sandpaper' effect of shaping the stones. They are eventually deposited in the valley some distance away, hence their term erratic.
Strathearn is a sandstone valley with Metamorphic rocks to the north and Volcanic Lavas to the south.
Schist is a metamorphic rock with a very characteristic texture. Most schists have evolved from mud and clay and together with heat and pressure form into layers and flakes making it easier to split. It has a very grainy texture in which you can often spot mica and quartz layers. Plants and small trees often grow within the fissures and rough surface of the rocks.
Volcanic rocks in comparison are usually fine-grained in texture. They often contain pieces or grains of other rocks. Volcanic rocks often have a pitted surface caused by gas bubbles trapped in the molten lava.
Thank you for taking time to walk up here.
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1. What confirms to you that this feature is indeed a glacial boulder?
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3. What would you estimate is the height of Samson's stone?
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