The conical grassy slopes of Dundee Law are a wellknown and dramatic landmark, dominating theskyline from many areas of the City of Dundee. It isonly 572 feet (174 metres) high but the view from thesummit of the Law is uninterrupted in all directionsmaking it a spectacular location on a clear day.

The prominence and shape of the Law is the result ofa long history that began with massive river floodsand violent volcanic eruptions some 415 million yearsago. The story of how the dramatic origins of theDundee area helped to shape the character of boththe Law and the City of Dundee is told in this leaflet.

In October 2000 Dundee Law was designated a LocalGeodiversity Site.

People and the LawPeople have been using the Law for thousands of years. Burialsdating from the Bronze Age, 3,500 years ago, have been foundon the hill. A steatite (soapstone) cup-shaped lamp of Iron Agedate has been found. During the Iron Age the summit area waslevelled and a defensive parapet erected. Some fragments ofreasonably fine Roman Samian ware pottery have beenunearthed. One of them appears to be a fragment of an ink-pot.

The WarMemorialThe Dundee War Memorial isthe most obvious feature onthe summit of the Law. Itwas completed in 1925 andthe architect was ThomasBraddock of Wimbledon. It has massive bronze doors andstands on a base of light grey Cornwall granite. A beacon is liton several significant days - 25 September (the Battle of Loos1914); 24th October (United Nations Day); 11 November(Armistice Day) and on Remembrance Sunday.

The Law TunnelIn the 1820s, a 300 metre long and 3 metre diameter tunnelwas driven through the “tail” of rock and boulder clay on theeastern side of the Law. It carried the Dundee to Newtylerailway. This was one of the earliest powered railways inScotland. The tunnel was in use until the 1860s when therailway was rerouted. The location ofthe tunnel is still marked on modernmaps, running from Kinghorne Road tojust short of Byron Street.

Using the Rocks1. Quarrying the LawThe igneous intrusion of theLaw is made of a rock calledAndesite.Andesite is namedafter the Andes Mountains in South America where it is a verycommon rock type. The andesite was quarried as a reinforcingstone for building.

The old quarry is on the north side of the Law and can beexamined from the road that leads to the top. The moltenrock (magma) cooled into crude polygonal columns. Thereare also vertical joints with some brown iron staining. Rainand frost continues to decompose the outer skin of the rockto expose fresh surfaces which, in their turn, are attacked byweather. This is called spheroidal or “onion-skin” weathering.

2. Paving Stones from MudThe Lower Devonian mudstones make good paving stonesand have been extensively quarried, particularly in Angus.Fossils have been found in these mudstones includingprimitive fish, crustaceans and plants.

3. Dundee TenementsThe tenement buildings of Dundee were built to house a

rapidly growing workforce as the cityexpanded. They are builtfrom stone obtained fromlocal quarries such asCarmyllie near Carnoustieand Kingoodie atInvergowrie. Theseprovided greysandstones of variablequality. Some sandstoneis very rich in the mineralmica that causes thestone to flake andweather badly.

DUNDEE LAW A Local Geodiversity SiteLocation and AccessIt is possible to drive to the top of Dundee Law via Law Road.This can be reached from Hill Street or Kinghorne Road at theeast end of the Law. The Law can be easily climbed from anydirection, except from the north where there are rocky outcrops.From the roads around the hill, well-maintained paths leadthrough woods on thelower slopes.

There are parking spaceson the summit of the Lawat the end of Law Road.The summit complexincludes a balustrade andwalkway, illustratedinformation boards, a direction indicator andthe Dundee War Memorial.

About Local Geodiversity Sites (LGS)Dundee Law is a Local Geodiversity Site. This means it is a placethat people can visit to learn more about their local landscapeand its geology.

Tayside Geodiversity aims to identify and publicise a network ofLocal Geodiversity Sites to increase public awareness of theRegion’s rich geological heritage. It also aims to conserve anddevelop these sites. Other Local Geodiversity Sites includeBalkello Hill in the Sidlaws, Stannergate Shore near BroughtyFerry and Seaton Cliffs at Arbroath.

If you would like to join a small group of dedicated amateursand professionals to continue this work, then please contact:

Tayside Geodiversityc/o Perth Museum78 George Street, Perth, PH1 5LB

T: 01738 632488E: museum@pkc.gov.ukwww.taysidebiodiversity.co.uk/geodiversity

This leaflet was produced in the memory of Mr John Scobie of Lawside Road.

““Still greatly missed, many thanks for all the happy hours up theLaw. Thank you Grandad.”

Tayside Geodiversity is affiliated to the Edinburgh Geological Society, a charity registered in Scotland : Charity No. SC008011

DUNDEE LAWA Local Geodiversity Site

Wells and SpringsIn Dundee “Rockwell”, “Butterburn”, “The Ladywell”, Ninewells”and “Wellgate” are all familiar names but many people do notrealise that they refer to natural wells and springs where watercomes to the surface. Water flowing through permeablesandstone may be forced to the surface when it encounters animpermeable igneous rock intrusion. Similarly water flowingthrough glacial till may come to the surface as a spring or well ifit comes up against igneous rock or even a less permeable layerof sandstone or mudstone. Water can flow through cracks(known as joints) in igneous rocks but these can also channelwater to the surface again forming springs.

During the early industrial development of Dundee, runningwater was used both for power and for the treatment oftextiles. The first factories followed the courses of the ScouringBurn to the West Port,and of the DensBurn to nearthe East Port.

The Law Tunnel southernentrance is clearly seen here.The wooden building on theleft stands where the EngineHouse stood.

A microscopic view of theminerals in the Andesite.

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500mRailway Station

Tay Bridge

CityCentre

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Open SpaceAllotments

Water TowerWar Memorial

BGS

L. Booth

Tracey Dixon

Tracey Dixon

Design, Print: Angus Council Print & Design Unit

Making of the Law

Present day Dundee Law

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1. Deserts and FloodsAbout 415 million years ago during the Lower Devonian geological period,the site of Dundee was in the interior of a large continent called Laurentia.The climate was hot and dry with seasonal floods. During the floods, riversleft masses of sand and gravel that now form grey to brown sandstone inthe Dundee area. Similarly, muddy sediments, laid down in rivers or inshallow lakes now form mudstones.

2. VolcanoesVolcanic activity during the Lower Devonian erupted thick layers of lavaonto the river and lake sediments. Some magma (molten rock) did noterupt at the surface but solidified underground. These are known asigneous intrusions. Dundee Law is formed from one of these igneousintrusions. The volcanic activity was associated with the final closure of anancient ocean called the Iapetus Ocean, which previously separatedScotland and England.

3. Tilting and ErosionOver the millions of years since the Lower Devonian earth movementshave tilted. folded and faulted the layers of rock in the Dundee areaand erosion has exposed rocks that were once deeply buried.

4. Ice AgeDuring the Ice Age which began around 2.6 million years ago, a successionof ice-sheets flowed from the west. The hard lavas and igneous intrusionsresisted the erosive power of the ice better than the softer sandstones andmudstones. The ice sheets moved over the Law and the ice was so thick thatit covered the top by several hundreds of metres. The ice sheet excavateddeep troughs in the sedimentary rocks to the north and south, while theigneous intrusion of the Law remained as a high point. The western slope of the law, exposed to the full force of the ice-flow, is steep, but the eastern side, protected by the crag, is a “tail” made of softer glacial debrisknown as till.

5. After the IceAfter the ice sheets finally melted,around 15,000 years ago, soil and plantsgradually returned to cover the slopes.The volcanic rock and glacial till of theLaw now produces fertile soil, which isgood news for those with allotments onthe lower slopes.

View overlooking Sidlaws from Law Hill. Gordon.Milligan

Lower Devonian