Monument record 10098 - LSFH 7.1 Loch Dubh

"Located in one of the many rivulets that flow from the west end of Loch Dubh in a southerly direction the visible extent of this large, petrified stump measures 5 x 1.5 metres. It is apparently the remains of a large pine tree thought to have measured at least 3 metres in diameter and up to 40 metres in height. Its location at the top of the till, at the bottom of the peat section, indicates that it stood in early antiquity some time shortly after the last ice sheet to cover the area (ca 9000BP) Ten metres to the south of this large stump are the remains of a second smaller tree, again pine, this one measuring no more than 0.3 metres in diameter." Part of a petrified forest. "Area of petrified tree stumps of various sizes, diameters and heights. All seem to be of pine and to be growing directly onto the glacial till prior to any significant peat growth. This suggests a pine forest that established itself furing the early pre-glacial period. The extent of this forest is unknown as the stumps identified were seen in water channels, and an unknown number remain still buried beneath the peat." (Burgess 2004, 20 and 23

Chris Burgess, Northamptonshire Archaeology, 2004, Archaeological Survey and Evaluation of Eilean Chalium Chille and the Putative Site of the Seaforth Head Castle (Unpublished document). SWE41054.