Marble with Forsterite/Serpentine from Ledmore Quarry, Sutherland, Scotland

Marble with Forsterite from Ledmore Quarry, Sutherland, Highlands, Scotland

A complex banded marble from the Ledmore Quarry - quarrying has been recorded on this site as early as 1796, and it is the only marble quarry on the British mainland.

Heat from magma has caused areas of the exposure of the Durness Limestone to metamorphose to Forsterite marble.

During the process of alteration to marble, the forsterite has hydrated to form serpentine group minerals, which, alongside brucite, cause pleasing apple-green bands and patches. Some specimens are almost entirely green.

Suggested reading - Ornamental marble from Ledmore, Scottish Highlands - Dr Douglas Nichol