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The slowest storytellers in Scotland: Decoding stalagmite secrets
When
Sunday 13 September 2026
14:00 - 15:30
Where
The Royal Society of Edinburgh
22-26 George St, Edinburgh EH2 2PQ
View directions on Google Maps
Format
In-person
Access
Hearing loop, Wheelchair access, Wheelchair accessible toilets
Age
Suitable for ages 16+
Cost
Free to book
About this event
Solving Scotland’s stalagmite mysteries
Hidden within caves on the Inner Hebrides islands of Jura and Islay are beautiful stalagmites and stalactites. Everything we know about these islands suggests that these geological formations should not exist there. So why are they present, and how did they form?
Solving this mystery is important. Stalagmites and stalactites act as natural archive; recordings of how landscapes and climate have changed over thousands of years. Understanding how they formed can reveal stories about Scotland’s environmental past.
In this workshop, we will investigate this geological puzzle:
- Split into two parts, the workshop will begin by exploring the caves and their surrounding landscapes, gathering geological evidence and piecing together the clues needed to explain the origins of these remarkable formations. Along the way, we will find out how the islands’ geology has shaped the landscape we see today.
- In the second part, we will examine samples of these formations to learn how they grow and how scientists use them to reconstruct past environments. These natural archives preserve remarkable records of changes in climate, vegetation, and landscape through time, offering a unique window into Scotland’s environmental history.
Note for attendees: This workshop may show images of confined spaces, such as caves, which may be uncomfortable for anyone with claustrophobia.
Event type
Curious
Workshop
Contributors
Professor Martin R. Lee
Professor of Planetary Science, School of Geographical and Earth Sciences, University of GlasgowMartin Lee is Professor of Planetary Science at the University of Glasgow. He obtained a degree and PhD in geology from the Universities of Leicester and Newcastle upon Tyne, respectively, then undertook research at the Universities of Essex and Edinburgh prior to joining Glasgow in 2000. He currently divides his time between studying rocks from the Inner Hebrides of Scotland, and rocks from Mars and asteroids that have fallen to Earth as meteorites. He studies these rocks by imaging their constituent minerals using high magnification microscopes. The common theme of his research is using water to understand the evolution of worlds – from water flowing through asteroids shortly after the during the birth of the Solar System 4500 million years ago, to water flowing through the crust of Mars 700 million years ago, and water dripping into caves of the Inner Hebrides over the last 2500 years.
Professor Cristina Persano
Professor of Geosciences, School of Geographical and Earth Sciences, University of GlasgowCristina is Professor of Geosciences at the University of Glasgow. She graduated in Earth Sciences at the University of Genova (Italy) and she was awarded a PhD at the University of Glasgow, where she has been working since. Cristina is a quantitative geomorphology; she uses state of the art techniques to quantify rates and time of changes in the landscape at a series of temporal scales, from millennia to hundreds of millions of years. The common theme of her research is the using the landscape as a record of geological events, from the puzzling caves of the Scottish Inner Hebrides, to the elevations of the Tibetan Plateau.
Contact us
If you have an event enquiry, please email us on public_engagement@theRSE.org.uk.Event testimonial
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What is Curious?
Curious is the Royal Society of Edinburgh’s (RSE) free festival that celebrates the research, ideas and knowledge shaping society today.
Each year, Curious brings a packed programme of free in-person and online events covering themes from the arts, humanities, policy, science and more. To date, we’ve welcomed over 10,000 attendees for talks, workshops, exhibitions and discussions where you can learn from and speak with Scotland’s leading thinkers. As part of the RSE’s mission to make knowledge useful and accessible for everyone, Curious is open to anyone who wants to learn more about the world around them. No specialist knowledge is needed, just bring your curiosity.
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