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Staffa Rock Shelter [1]

Staffa, Port an Fhasgaidh, Argyllshire.

At base of north end of high basalt cliff at north end of Port an Fhasgaidh.

Alternative Names: None recorded.

Notes: Rock Shelter 1 (NM 32236 35534, surveyed by Tony Boycott) a 1.0 m wide, 2.5 m long and 0.5 m high slot at back of wider scalloped feature, 15-20 m wide, 8.8 m deep & 13.5 m high. Visible structure within columnar layer - polygonal sections forming roof & walls - but lower levels concealed by rounded rocks & pebbles. The deeper recess may have been formed by a separation layer eroding between the compacted volcanic ash/conglomerate below and the basalt above, undercutting the basalt columns which fell away. Broken columns appear at the bottom of a fracture (extending to the top of the cliff infilled with white material - a thin layer of calcite deposited in the interstitial cracks) representing a weakness in cliff.

Hydrographic Feeds: Sea of the Hebrides, Port an Fhasgaidh