Geology Cairn

You’ll see something new each time you look at this rock clock. Each piece is stacked in chronological order to match how they’re layered in the Evolution Timeline wall in our gardens.

At the cairn’s base is the oldest rock in the UK – the pink, grey and black Lewisian gneiss, which formed 3.2–2.8 billion years ago during the Archaean Eon. It finishes with a youthful topping of old red sandstone that's just 419–394 million years old.

Only 10 of these decorative ornaments were made using larger pieces chosen by our scientists from across the UK. From top to bottom, the cairn is made up of:

1. Old red sandstone, formed 419–394 million years ago during the Devonian Period, from Herefordshire, England.
2. Park granite, formed 442–432 million years ago during the Silurian Period, from Nairn, Scotland.
3. Cumbrian slate, formed 458–450 million years ago during the Ordovician Period, from Cumbria, England.
4. Grampian granite, formed 477–470 million years ago during the Ordovician Period from Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
5. Welsh heather slate, formed 520–510 million years ago during the Cambrian Period in Penrhyn, Wales.
6. Cambrian quartzite, formed 526–508 million years ago during the Cambrian Period, from Lairg, Scotland.
7. Torridonian sandstone, formed 1.0 billion years ago during the Neoproterozoic Era, from Wester Ross, Scotland.
8. White anorthosite, formed 2.49 billion years ago in the Paleoproterozoic Era, from Harris in the Western Isles of Scotland.
9. Lewisian gneiss, formed 3.2–2.8 billion years ago during the Archaean Eon, from the Western Isles of Scotland.

Each cairn is numbered and comes displayed on a stainless-steel mount with a solid oak base, allowing you to enjoy the shapes, textures and colours from every angle. It’s an incredibly special gift for any geology fan and makes for a wonderful centrepiece.