In 2009 Shetland was awarded membership of the European Geoparks Network in recognition of its incredible earth heritage. With rocks of every era from the Precambrian to the Carboniferous, Shetland’s geology spans almost 3 billion years and is more diverse than any similar sized area in Europe. Where else can you walk on ancient oceanic crust, explore an extinct volcano and stroll across shifting sands in the space of a day?
Over the past 700 million years Shetland has travelled from a location close to the South Pole across the Equator to its current latitude of 60° north. On the journey it experienced oceans opening and closing, mountains forming and eroding, tropical seas, volcanoes, deserts, ice ages and ancient rivers. Evidence of these earth-shaking events can be found throughout the isles, including a number of unique geological features.