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Catterline

Catterline is a small picturesque fishing village a few miles south of Stonehaven and a similar distance from Barras Quarry to the west. On the hill directly above the beach a famous seafood restaurant brings many people to the area in the summer months. It is an unusual location, because I have only one agate from the area, and while jasper and flint are found in the beach shingle, small waterworn nodules of mainly blue-grey agate do not seem to appear even as shards. The beaches close to Dunnottar Castle also appear barren in this respect.

              However, the origin of the agate below was clearly the soil and turf surrounding the small bay. It still had most of its skin intact, it was coated in mud, showed no signs of water-based wear-and-tear and had likely come to its place of discovery just where the soil meets the shingle as a result of the natural erosion of the soil in the area by rainwater. Indeed it is the case that landslips occur here aswell as in Stonehaven and other places along the coast.

Further searching close by turned-up no other examples. It may be that the farmland close to the coast here produces some generously-sized and erratically-patterned material. It may also be the case that only the precipitous area close to the shore is productive. I may investigate this location in more depth in the future.

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