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  5. 45. Linhouse Water (Calderwood at Oakbank near East Calder)

45. Linhouse Water (Calderwood at Oakbank near East Calder)

A small quartz-dolerite dyke forms a small waterfall in the Linhouse Water.

45 Linhouse Water Calderwood at Oakbank near East Calder

This small dyke was intruded as molten magma about 300 million years ago, into existing layers of sandstone, mudstone and siltstone that were formed about 334 million years ago. It forms a small but obvious waterfall in the river. The exposed rock is on the west side of the river, but is hard to see due to the mature vegetation along the river bank. The dyke rock is quartz-dolerite, a variety of dolerite that contains small amounts of quartz.

The site is in the Linhouse Water, within Calderwood Country Park, between Mid Calder and East Calder. The nearest parking is at Hoghill Wood near Oakbank. The site can also be reached following the sign from Bank Street in Mid Calder. Nearby geodiversity sites are the sites in Calderwood Country Park (see 9, 51) and Linhouse Water near the Edinburgh-Shotts rail line Viaduct (37).