Abstract Since the term was coined in 1873, palaeogeography has provided a powerful map-based tool for synthesizing, visualizing, and testing diverse regional data and hypotheses, but there are problems in deducing the palaeogeography of areas with few data points. As an example, the Scottish Highlands are better mapped and more studied than almost any other ancient orogen, yet questions remain on the persistence of topography since the Caledonian orogeny and the possibility of Cretaceous marine inundation. This paper reviews the data available on Scottish Cretaceous outcrops using published geological maps and memoirs to extract data: outcrop length, stratigraphic thickness and component units, elevation range of the outcrop and subcrop formations. All Cretaceous rocks in western Scotland were deposited in shallow marine and shoreline environments; deposits thin northwards and appear to be close to a feather edge. Elevation data are used to construct a Cretaceous surface which intersects present-day topography at low to intermediate altitudes. It is concluded that the Scottish Highlands were largely emergent during the Late Cretaceous, confirming previous palaeogeographic studies.

Abstract The account of the Old Red Sandstone (ORS) given by Wally Mykura (1991) in the third edition of this book remains an authoritative account containing many details which will not be repeated here. Wally Mykura wrote at a time of active controversy concerning the relation of the Grampian Block to Devonian successions south of the Highland Boundary Fault. His untimely death robbed him of the opportunity to discuss problems which have been reconciled to some extent by recent work and revision of absolute ages for the Devonian (Tucker et al . 1998). The chapter title follows tradition, recognizing that both the base and the top of the Devonian cannot generally be defined in Scotland. The Stonehaven Group of ORS facies is now thought to be as old as the Mid-Silurian (Marshall 1991) and the top of the Upper ORS passes conformably up into Carboniferous strata. The term Old Red Sandstone (discussion in Waterston 1965) was originally derived from the ‘Oelter rother Sandstein’ of Werner, and was applied to the Permian red sandstones of Germany. Phillips (1818) used ORS in its present sense, and Murchison (1839) considered it should be regarded as a system. However, it was Sedgwick & Murchison (1839) who established the Devonian system for marine strata in SW England and included the ORS within the Devonian. Old Red Sandstone is now used as a facies term and, whilst the rocks are mostly of Devonian age, there are notable exceptions. The distribution of ORS strata ( Fig. 8.1 ) shows