38. The Knock, Bathgate Hills

The Knock is an impressive feature formed by an outcrop of quartz-dolerite about 305 million years old. This is a tough igneous rock, a variety of dolerite that contains small amounts of quartz. It formed when magma intruded into existing rocks, forming a sill that now dips steeply in an easterly direction. This sill is unusual in that it intrudes into basalt lavas as well as into the sedimentary rocks. The surrounding sedimentary rocks are more susceptible to erosion and have been scraped away by glaciers, leaving another example of a crag and tail feature in this area (see also sites 35 and 42). The summit, at 305 metres above sea level, forms an excellent viewpoint. 

The Knock is situated 2km north-east of Bathgate, 200 metres south of the Hilderston Silver Mine Quarry (Site 28). There is a small car park on the south side of the hill.  Other nearby geodiversity sites are Cairnpapple Hill (20), Rifle Range Quarries (27) and Hilderston Silver Mine (29).